


Alphabet Soup ~ Vegetable & Beef Style!

by CoffeeQuills



Category: Tiger & Bunny
Genre: A-Z, Drabbles, Family, Fluff, Friendship/Love, Hugs, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-24
Updated: 2018-11-27
Packaged: 2019-01-04 21:52:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 23
Words: 46,041
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12177228
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CoffeeQuills/pseuds/CoffeeQuills
Summary: Kotetsu is the first one to come down with the sickness, so Bunny makes him alphabet soup, vegetable-beef style to tide him over nutritiously and healthily. As he slurps down each letter, a Kotetsu-centered story is provided. Enjoy a wide-ranging collection of A-Z drabbles with your favorite Wild Tiger! (And a recipe!)





	1. Alphabet Soup - Vegetable Beef Style!

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Tiger & Bunny in any way, shape, or form. I just like to play with the characters, settings, and plots.

 

* * *

Kotetsu coughed weakly on the couch, the afghan pulled all the way up to his chin even as he shuddered.

"That was Saito-san that just called," Barnaby said, closing his cell phone with a sigh. "You've got influenza, type D."

"Which one's-" his question was cut off by a vicious round of hacking.

"The type that hits NEXTs even harder than it hits the community. You're not going to be in shape to work for about two weeks."

Kotetsu groaned just as the doorbell rang.

"And that should be Pao-Lin." Barnaby covered his mouth with a paper mask and walked briskly to open the door.

"Why?" He croaked when Barnaby walked back to the kitchen.

"Because she's the one who did the commercial, so she's the one with a life-time supply of alphabet pasta. "I'm going to make you beef-vegetable alphabet soup. It's healthy and nutritious, so hopefully it'll help speed up your recovery.

Kotetsu gave a whine of agreement.

"Can I put mayo on it?"

"Ugh, of course not!"

* * *

 **Alphabet** **-Soup Broth & Veggie Style**

( _by Oxmoor House via My Recipies_ )

~ 1 lb. of ground chuck

~ 2 cups low-sodium vegetable juice cocktail

~ 2 (16 oz.) packages of frozen vegetable soup mix with tomatoes

~ 2 (14.25 oz. cans of no-salt-added beef broth

~ 2 (14 1/2 oz.) cans of no-salt added diced tomatoes

~ 1/2 cup uncooked alphabet-shaped pasta

~ 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt

~ 1 teaspoon of dried Italian seasoning

~ 1/2 teaspoon of pepper

**Step 1**

Cook ground chuck in a Dutch over over medium heat until browned, stirring until it crumbles. Drain and pat dry with paper towels. Wipe drippings from Dutch oven with a paper towel.

**Step 2**

Return beef to the Dutch oven. Add the vegetable juice cocktail, and then the vegetable soup mix, the beef broth, and the diced tomatoes; bring the mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat, and let it simmer for 10 minutes. Add the pasta and any remaining ingredients to the Dutch over; bring to a boil again. Cover, reduce the heat, and let it simmer for 10 minutes or until the pasta is done.


	2. Extreme

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: Kotetsu forgot that being a Hero requires nerves of steel. [Future Fic]

 

Everyone was there, crowding into Kotetsu's house with the TV turned all of the way up and every spare seat taken, even the floor space near the couch. Barnaby stood in the doorway for a few seconds, holding three bowls and wondering how he'd gotten lucky enough to find these strange people that he called friend... and that called him that in return.

"Popcorn!" Pao-Lin grabbed the blue bowl that was balancing between the other two, her new pixie cut brushing against strong shoulders. "Thanks Barnaby!" 

"Still hungry after everything we ordered?" 

She grinned. 

"Of course. And I'll share with Ivan too, I promise." 

A quick look at the couch showed the man sitting crosslegged in the corner, the soles of his feet pressed against Antonio's back.

"Aren't you two supposed to be out there? Three," he amended quickly as he saw their third partner-in-crime approaching. 

"We wanted to watch without any distractions," said Karina, sniffing deeply. "And none of us need the points at the moment. Ooh, is that caramel?" She reached out to grab it, pouting as Barnaby pulled it back and Pao-Lin wandering off with her salted bowl, hunched over it as if she was warding it from Karina. 

"You said you were on a diet," Barnaby reminded her.

"You're mean." 

"If she's on a diet, then I'll take the caramel," said Nathan, sashasying over to pick up the bowl. 

"What?!" Karina looked as if she wanted to cry. "But... but you're always on a diet, give it back!" 

"Guys, shup up!" shouted Kotetsu, clutching a pink pillow in his lap. Barnaby blinked. Correction: not a pillow, but the faded pink birthday rabbit he'd gotten years ago, back when he'd first joined Hero TV. "I can't hear anything!"

"It hasn't started yet old man," grumbled Antonio, pressing back against Ivan's feet and grunting happily at the forced massage. "Relax." 

_"... and now, the moment you've all been waiting for...our newest hero for this season is... KopyKat!"_

Cheers sounded around the room as the woman's information showed up on the screen, with a giant question mark in the section for NEXT power.

"Kotestu," Keith called out as the name flashed up on the screen. "What's wrong with Kaede's spelling? She knows that both of those words use a 'C' right?" 

"Keith, it's fine," said Karina, rolling her eyes. "I mean, when it comes down to it, what exactly does Origami Cyclone mean? Lots of paper cuts?" 

"Hey!" 

"I'm just saying that Hero names don't have to make sense," Karina shrugged. "If they did, I'd probably have ice in my name, and Pao-Lin would have electricity in hers." 

"Chinese dragons rule the weather, which includes lightning," Pao-Lin pointed out. "So I already do. And if you want to pick on names, why not the Hero named after a wild animal with no animal-based powers?" 

"Guyyyyyssss," whined Kotetsu, fidgiting again. "And I told you, my name is based off of the kanij for my name."

"Sorry!" 

"Sorry." 

One of those sounded pretty fake, but Barnaby made his way over to his partner without calling the woman out. 

"You okay?" he asked, not bothering to keep his voice down.

"My little girl," sniffed the older man, "is a Hero! Just like her old man." 

Barnaby saw Antonio and Nathan exchange amused and fond glances, then move a little bit closer to where Kotetsu was sitting.

_"and here's tonight's first crime! We have a hostage situation at the train station, with ten hostages and five assailents. Let's go now to the scene of the crime-and first on the scene is KopyKat!"_

"Yes!" shouted Kotestu, pumping a fist in the air as her name popped up with the attributed points. "Go Kaede!" 

"Hmmm, I wonder who the criminals are?" mused Nathan, tapping their cheek with a bright pink nail. "NEXT? Or non?"

On screen, Kaede was inching closer, looking around her to see where exactly everyone was, teammates, hostages, and assailants. 

"Does it matter when they have guns?" Antonio asked.

"...what?" whispered Kotetsu, his skin taking on a decidedly lighter color. "G-guns? Where?" 

"Yeah, right over there to the left. See the barrel sticking out of the lower part of the window?" A thick finger pointed at the screen, over to the left.

Kotetsu stood up, the bunny clenched in his fist. 

"Um, I need to go. Now. I'll be-"

"Sitting right next to me," said Nathan, snagging the older Japanese man and pulling him back to the ground in a hug. "This is Kaede's first day, you don't want to ruin it, do you?" 

"She'll be perfectly fine," said Keith, giving a thumbs up. "And again, perfectly fine." 

There was a crash from the TV and Karina laughed. 

"I hate to say it," chuckled Ivan, "but after working with you for so many years, I can tell that she's definitely your daughter." 

Barnaby watched as Kotetsu's head slowly inched to face the TV again. Kaede must have stolen a strength-based NEXT power since she was currently standing in in the middle of the gun fight, the focus of several blasting assailants, and protected by a slab of concrete that she was holding before herself. Which came from a nearby wall.  

"Ka-e-de," he croaked, going a bit paler. 

"Try not to faint old man," said Barnaby, trying to provoke a different response out of Kotetsu. It didn't work, the dreaded nickname forgotten. His grip on the bunny rabbit was also tighter, if the white knuckles were anything to go by. 

"You really didn't think about this, did you?" asked Pao-Lin, munching on a handful of popcorn. "Did you forget about all the close calls we've had? Min Jian? Shelby? Maria, or even Jake?" 

"No...." His voice could barely be heard above the TV.

Antonio slapped Kotetsu on the back. 

"Your brain just didn't connect those facts, did it?" There was another crash as KopyKat powered through shooters, knocking them to the ground. "It's cute. She's got your sense of self-preservation." 

Barnaby grinned, but leaned forward to lay a hand on Kotetsu's shoulder as the man twitched. 

"I... I don't have-"

"We know," the room said in chorus. They cheered as Kaede brushed by one of the men and copied his power. It gave her rubbery skin, which she used to sling the bullets back, after they hit her. 

"I can't... I can't watch this," choked Kotetsu, leaning forward and keening as if pained. 

"Which is why we're all here buddy," said Antonio, raising a bottle of beer. "To make sure you do watch it, and don't do something stupid, like try to save her on live TV, 'cause even if Kaede died of embarrassment, Agnes would kill you."

"We wanted to make sure that Kaede-chan's dear father was cheering her on," cooed Nathan, finishing off the caramel popcorn nearby and grabbing a soft taco. "And not hiding from his fierce, powerful daughter."

"Is anyone recording this?" asked Barnaby, smirking at his partner. "We've had one first, and he's probably going to faint, which'll be another."

"What was the first one?" asked Ivan, nibbling on a pretzel that Pao-Lin had passed him.

"Him actually admitting that he has no sense of self-preservation. Something that I've been trying to get him to say since we teamed up." 

"I gave up that long ago," rumbled Antonio. "He hadn't figured it out in high school, and after all those years of heroing, I figured it was useless, like an appendix."

Kotetsu emitted a strange squeaking sound, which drew everybody back to the TV. Kaede had apparently borrowed another power and was zipping around at a super speed, tying up all of the bad guys. 

"What are you mak-" Karina stopped in mid-question as Kaede slipped on something and careened into a nearby wall. "You knew that was going to happen?" 

"She's graceful on the ice," said Barnaby, shaking his head regretfully. "Incredibly graceful. But she's also had, how many Kotetsu? Ten or twelve broken bones?" 

"Thirteen," came the answer through gritted teeth. 

"She's pretty clumsy off of the ice," finished the blonde, shaking his head. 

"Duly noted," said Ivan, patting Kotetsu on the back. "We'll keep an eye on her." 

On screen, one of the Heros approached her, a young man with long green hair, and touched her shoulder, the result being Kaede turning blue with yet another power. 

"Oh, wow..." breathed Pao-Lin, eyes sparkling. "She's healing herself!" 

"What a great idea!" Keith laughed in delight. "And again, a great idea! A healer on the team would be incredibly useful, for Heroes and civilians alike!" 

"We could've used that in a lot of situations," grumbled Barnaby, touching Kotetsu on the neck, where three thick scars lay beneath his vest.

"See? She's already up," Ivan pointed out. Kotetsu grunted, but it was true. Kaede had gotten up and walked over to where one of the hostages was tied up. "You don't need to worry so much. And look!"

_"KopyKat gets points for being the first on the scene, capturing the assailants, and even rescue points for healing one of the hostages - wow! Her first day on the job and she's already netted 1,125 points! Let's hear it for today's Heros, and the stunningly charming KopyKat!_

Kaede flashed two peace signs at the TV, her dark yellow cowl cheerfully outlined in a light blue.

Kotetsu turned the TV off, his face a little greenish. 

"Some ginger ale might help calm your stomach," suggested Nathan. 

"... is that what you all..." Kotetsu's voice was cracking, shattering into tiny pieces. "Is this how you all felt for me?" 

"Frigthened beyond all belief that I was going to have to tell Muramasa that you'd killed yourself doing something stupid?!" snorted Antonio, looking at his empty beer. "Every. Fucking. Time."

"You did make us worry a lot Kotetsu." Ivan turned to face the older man, purple eyes fixated on him.

"I understood that you simply wanted to help others," said Keith, ducking his head and rubbing the back of his neck, "however... yes. And many times yes." 

"You wear your heart on your sleeve," said Nathan, "and while it's a large heart, it also has a tendency to get into trouble." 

Barnaby noticed Pao-Lin and Karina give each other a look, but they didn't say anything. Kotetsu, on the other hand, was slumping further and further down on the floor, which was an accomplishment. 

"However," said Barnaby, pitching his voice to carry over the crowd, "we wouldn't change you at all." 

And that started a heart-felt pouring of agreement from everybody, at least until a cell-phone went off. 

Everyone grew quiet. 

"Kotetsu? Isn't that your ringtone?" asked Ivan, listening to the strains of  _Eye of the Tiger_  in the air. 

"I've got it," said Barnaby, answering the phone and hitting the speaker button so that everyone could see and talk to each other.

"So!? Did you see?" 

"Over a thousand points is a great start!" praised Keith. "And again, a great start! Continue doing such wonderful work and you'll be Queen of Heroes in no time!"

"We've got to figure out a way for you to keep those powers," added Karina. "Even after you touch another NEXT. The healing one would be especially useful." 

"Nice job Kaede!" cheered Antonio, twisting the top off another beer bottle.

"You did a stunning job," added Ivan, taking advantage of everyone moving around to grab a another pretzel. "Welcome to the team!"

"You're going to be a wonderful Hero, Kaede-chan," squealed Nathan. "Just like your father " 

"Barnaby..." the woman's voice grew quiet. Suspicious. "Where's dad? I don't hear him."

"Kaede," gasped Kotetsu, tears streaming down his face. Barnaby inched the phone in his direction. "I'm... I'm extremely proud of you." 

"You watched me?!" Everyone could hear the surprise in the woman's voice.

"We made sure that he watched you," added Barnaby, patting the older man on the back.

"Thanks Dad." Kaede sniffed, her own eyes welling up over the call. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Letter from the Soup - E for Extreme
> 
> Feel free to send a Wild Roar by leaving a kudos or a comment!
> 
> (And a digital cookie to anyone who can figure out Kaede's costume.)


	3. Perilous

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Summary: As much as Kotetsu doesn't want his friends hurt, they feel the same way. He forgets that, sometimes.

Kotetsu groaned, his eyes not blurry enough to escape the color of the ceiling. Green. A soft, puke-green. With that acknowledgement his other sense began to report in. Steady sounds of beeping coming from multiple sources, along with a low murmur of noise that meant at least two other people were there. A too-bright, too-sharp smell in the air that tickled the back of his nostrils, along with a slight scents of ozone and fire. The sheets underneath him were cool to the touch, and gentle where his fingers brushed against it.

"He's waking up," someone said.

"Kotetsu, you here?" asked another, deeper voice.

 _Antonio._ His mind supplied after a few seconds of thinking.  _And... Karina?_

"Finally! Now we can concentrate on Handsome," trilled a high pitched voice.

_Nathan. Wait, Handsome?!_

"Bunny?" croaked Kotetsu, struggling to get up.

_What happened this time?_

"What happened... to Bunny?"

"You." Nathan said bluntly, their voice dropping to its lower tone, the one they used when they got serious.

_Me?_

"What?"

"You ran into a burning building," Karina chimed in. "Without waiting for me to put it out."

_Ooooh. Yeah, now he remembered. A pretty high apartment fire, with several people leaning out over the railings and calling for help._

"There was... no time." Kottetsu squeezed his eyes shut, trying to erase the memories.

_Is that where the smell's coming from? Or is Nathan worried?_

"Bunny?"

"He went in to rescue you," Ivan spoke up, looking at the floor. "And... he'd already activated his powers."

_Shit!_

Kotetsu managed to turn his head, already knowing why there were other beeps and computer noises in the room. Sure enough, Barnaby was lying in a cot next to him, bandages wrapped around his head. Pinning down curls that should have been free.

"One of the floors collapsed," continued Pao-Lin, wrapping her hands together, then twisting them. She was never really good at dealing with emotions. "And he shoved you out of the way."

"...and got pinned," groaned Kotetsu, closing his eyes briefly.

"Hello, and hello again!" said Keith, poking his head into the doorway. "Are they both awake yet?"

"Kotetsu is," Antonio rumbled, getting up from the chair that had been barely holding the man. "Barnaby, not so much. Give me a second, I gotta make some phone calls."

 _He's probably calling mom and Kaede._  He looked over at the still Hero.  _Oh Bunny... I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. You shouldn't have been hurt because of me._

"We need to pick up our school work," said Karina, grabbing Pao-Lin by the arm. "We'll be back in an hour."

"And I need to get my computer, I have a blog post due," added Ivan, following the two girls out of the room. Which left Nathan and Keith.

"Come on Keith," said Nathan, "I know you just got here sweetie, but I could really use something sweet to nibble on. Or a strong coffee. Maybe both? I haven't eaten anything since the fire."

Kotetsu squirmed in his bed.

"Sorry Nathan-"

"Don't apologize to me," they said, holding out a hand. Pink eyes stared, drilling into him. "You need to apologize to Handsome."

The Japanese man let out a sigh.

"I will," he promised, dropping eye contact with Nathan. "This... this was all my fault."

Nathan snorted, probably because this wasn't the first time they'd heard those words, then turned, taking Keith with them and leaving the room empty... empty except for the man lying next to him. Kotetsu simply watched for a few moments. The machines showed that the pulse was good, but even with all of the times he'd been hospitalized, he couldn't remember what the other numbers meant. On the other hand, he could see plenty of bandages wrapped around his partner, including the one around his pretty head.

"... Bunny," sighed Kotetsu. "Don't get hurt for this old man."

There was no reaction at the nickname, and Kotetsu's heart sank further.

"I'm sorry." The words seemed to echo in the room, and then drop, falling away into whispers that scattered to the wind. With a louder groan, Kotetsu sat up, his body aching everywhere, but specifically across the back of his shoulders and on his left leg. Gently untangling the wires attaching him to his machines, he began to move them across the few feet that separated him.

"Bunny."

Not a twitch.

"Barnaby," Kotetsu sighed, reaching forward to grab a still hand. He waited a few seconds, thinking that he'd felt it twitch, but there was no other movement.

"I never meant for you to get hurt. My choice is my choice; you're not supposed to do the crazy stuff, like running in after me. Though... I'm sure Kaede will thank you." Kotetsu's eyes began to water. "We're Heroes Bunny, not invincible. And you need to be having fun, making up for lost years."

Still nothing. No twitches, no sighs, no long, pretty eyelashes fluttering.

"Damnit Bunny. I swear, if you wake up, I'll stop being so reckless."

"Thank god," said Barnaby, opening his eyes and sitting up.

"Bunny!?"

"You stupid idiot!" Green eyes glared at him, then focused even more intently as Barnaby grabbed a pair of nearby glasses sitting on a tray. "You could have been killed!"

"Wha- how?" Kotetsu's mouth hung open.

"Surrrrrpriiiiise!" Nathan sang out, everyone crowding behind him and trying to get back into the room.

"You all heard him, right?" said Barnaby, getting off of the bed and ripping away the bandages.

"Wait, stay down, you're still hurt!" Kotetsu's head was spinning. "Wha- what's going on?"

"You're too reckless."

"You keep getting injured, trying to make sure that we don't," Ivan added to Antonio's bludgeoning sentence.

Keith came over to help Kotetsu back into his own bed.

"And we hope you intend to keep your promise," the wind Hero said, eyebrows drawing in. "It would be terrible for one to break a promise, and again, more terrible if that person were a Hero."

"...my head hurts," whined Kotetsu, getting back into his bed and leaning against the white pillow. "What the hell's going on?"

"How did you feel when you thought you had caused Barnaby's injuries?" asked Pao-Lin.

"... terrible."

"Now take that feeling and use it for us," commanded Nathan.

"Like the time you shoved me out of the way and got shot,  **without your powers!** " said Karina, folding her arms over her chest. "Never mind that I was ready to block it with ice."

"Or when you attacked the bank robbers when they found out I was in disguise," said Ivan, sighing. "All I needed to do was lose them for a second, and I would have looked like one of the hostages. Instead, you landed in the hospital."

"Remember when you pushed me out of the way of that robot attack?" asked Antonio. "You'd already used your power, and I could've taken that hit better than you."

"But..." Kotetsu looked around the room, meeting not quite angry eyes, but determined ones. "I can't just sit back and watch you be hurt. Not when I can do something."

"Think of it from our side," said Keith, coming to sit down a the side of the bed. "You felt terrible when you thought Barnaby got hurt because of you."

Kotetsu turned to his partner.

"You're not, right?"

"No." Barnaby grimaced, pushing his glasses further up his face. "Not this time."

"Then, I don't see what the problem is," Kotetsu tried to laugh it off, grinning at the Heroes gathered around him.

"Shut up and listen to Keith!" snapped Karina, blushing. "Then maybe you'll get it."

Flinching, the bed-bound man turned back to the still smiling wind wizard.

"Think about how  **we**  feel when  **you**  get hurt because of  **us**."

Kotetsu's mouth opened, but he didn't say anything.

"By jove, I think he's got it!" trilled Nathan, clapping their hands together.

"Better have," muttered Karina. "I'm sick of visiting him in the hospital."

"You can keep to the perilous path you've chosen," Keith assured Kotestu, patting an injured shoulder. "But make sure that that actions you take leave you less injured than we would have been had the action not been taken."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Letter from the Soup - P for Perilous 
> 
> Feel free to send a Wild Roar by leaving a kudos or a comment!


	4. Vest

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Summary: What does clothing say about the person wearing it? The Heroes discuss Wild Tiger's choices over a curry lunch. [Future Fic]

"I'm really, really sorry Kotetsu! It slipped out of my hands-"

"And landed in the curry, which then splatted on me. Ivan, it's fine," Kotetsu laughed, looking at the large orange stain spreading across his white vest, small bits already making their way to drip down onto his green shirt. "We're still pretty close to work, so I'll just go get a spare from my locker, okay? Be back in about ten minutes."

"Dibs on his beer if he's a second late!" Antonio shouted after his friend, chuckling at the single finger given in response.

"Does he actually wear anything else besides that shirt and vest combo?" asked Karina, holding onto her drink instead of putting it in the small lake of curry Ivan and Keith were currently trying to contain to a corner of the table. Out of the corner of her eye she could see a staff member hurrying in their direction with several towels. "Besides his workout clothes of course."

"Nah... he's been wearing that getup since high school. Just the colors have changed."

"Really Antonio?" Nathan turned their gaze on him. "The deep green sets off his amber eyes beautifully! What were they before?"

"Used to be a dark red shirt, and a black vest. Tomoe's favorite color combination. Kotetsu wasn't that fond of it actually, he thought it made him look like a villain, or the textbook definition of a brooding Hero"

"It would suit his complexion and hair color, but I think I like the green better," interjected Barnaby, nibbling on a piece of garlic  _nan_. "It's also easy enough to understand why he might have wanted to change it from what it originally was."

"We should get him something new for his birthday then," Dragon Kid pipped up. "It's in February*, right? Only about a month away."

"Yeah," agreed Karina. "And he'd wear it too, wouldn't he, no matter what we picked? I mean, he told me and Pao-Lin that gifts given should be worn."

"Umm..." Antonio played with his beer bottle, lips twisted. "He might. Kinda depends on what we'd get. I wouldn't hold your breath though, it's easier for him to give advice sometimes than to take it."

"Well, what does he like about his shirts?" asked Keith, finally looking up from curry containment duty and smiling at the man who had come over to help. "Thanks, and thanks again!"

"Heh, I'm a Sky High fan too!" the man said as Ivan tried to elbow Keith. "Enjoy, and enjoy the rest of your meal!"

The two of them started laughing while the rest of the table hid their faces behind an array of drinks, pieces of food, or in Karina's case, an ovious face palm.

"We could match it," continued Keith, oblivious to Ivan's jabs and waving goodbye to the Sky High fan. "Color? Fabric?"

The entire group of Heroes look at Antonio, Nathan's eyes glittering with the promise of a shopping trip.

"So, spill. What exactly does he like?"

"He's gonna kill me," muttered the cornered man, trying to ignore the stares. Barnaby stabbed at his salad, shaking a little of the excess orange dressing off of the top.

"For saying why he likes his shirts? We'll ask him when he comes back then, don't worry about it."

"He won't give you the true answer." Antonio flushed, then took a swig of his beer. "Shit... look, I know you just gave me an out there, and I appreciate it, but... I'm sick of keeping it a secret."

Now he had everyone's undivided attention.

"Well, what's this terrible, horrible secret you've been keeping from us," prodded Nathan, taking a sip of their lassi. "It better be a good one. Is Kotetsu a robot in disguise?"

Barnaby flinched, then attacked his vegetarian curry with a spoon to hide the involuntary movement.

"His shirts started when we were younger," Antonio began, tracing a finger over the name on the beer bottle. "The two of us got into a lot of fights during our high school years. Started them in my case, ended them in his, and both of us would jump into others without a backwards glance. Afterwards, when we graduated, we immediately became Heroes."

"And? So the two of you were in a lot of fights back then, big deal," said Karina. "I can't think that any of us would be surprised at that. Did he wear those shirts instead of a school uniform or something?"

"Back then, it was because of Anju and Muramasa. Then, it included Tomoe. Kaede. Even us," Antonio sighed, gesturing around the table. "He wears it as a type of concealer."

Now it was Nathan that flinched, dropping a stolen  _nan_  piece back onto the community plate.

"Hmmm..." they said in a deep voice, accompanied by bright pink nails tapping the table. Then they nodded. "I see. I think most of us have done that at some time."

"I don't understand," confessed Keith, reaching across a curry dish for a  _samosa_. "What is Kotetsu trying to hide from us? We're his friends."

"Injuries." Barnaby's voice was flat, and if he had been a real bunny then his ears would have been pinned back against his head in anger. "That's what he's always hiding from us, isn't it? Especially since his time's dropped."

"It started out with bruises, but at one point the two of us were hiding broken bones from Anju and Muramasa. His bones at any rate." Antonio huffed at the memory. "I didn't have any problems with that. Tomoe threatened to tell the teachers, or to go to Anju herself, but we convinced her that it was fine, that Kotetsu would heal and she'd worry people for no reason. Her response was to read up on how to set bones, and then figure out how to diagnose the really serious injuries. Thankfully, we didn't need her for that, but the three of us just continued from there."

"...that's how you knew," said Keith, the epiphany clear in his voice. "Back when we were in the hospital. That he couldn't heal himself."

"Yeah, he's tried that shit before." Antonio took a pull of his beer. "His power does heal the small stuff, but the problem is that he always thinks it's small stuff. Anyhow, long story short, that's why he likes long sleeves. And a second covering."

"Does he..." Barnaby's voice tailed off, eyes looking off at the Bollywood movie opposite him, but his glower was evidence that he wasn't seeing it. Either that or he really disliked the current musical number. "He does, doesn't he." It wasn't a question.

"Does what?" asked Ivan, watching his curry with narrowed eyes as he dipped a piece of cheese  _nan_  in .

"When we were fighting Lu-" Barnaby broke off, looking around the room. "Everyone's favorite murderer, he took a hit for me. Right in the shoulder, where his vest would cover it."

"His worst injury was right below his ribs," said Keith thoughtfully. "That would have been covered too."

"Wasn't covered enough," quipped Barnaby. "It still bled through afterwards. Hard enough that I noticed blood smears on metal."

"The hat's a distraction, isn't it?" asked Karina, almost slamming her drink down on the table. "I should've figured it out, it's an old idol trick. He fiddles with it, and the movement draws eyes away from other places."

Antonio held up his empty beer bottle, half as cheers, half as a signal to the waiter.

"It could be both," said Pao-Lin, interrupting everyone's dark thoughts. "Look, maybe it started as a way to hide his wounds until they healed, but now it allows him to act normal, and it brings him comfort."

Everyone looked over at her as if she had suddenly grown a third head, but she stared right back.

"Antonio, you like jeans right?"

He nodded.

"They're durable and comfortable. Karina likes layered clothing, and Keith likes simple shirts. I like my jumpsuit, and when my parents bought me a dress, I had to keep reminding myself not to kick so high. We like what we like, it''s sometimes as simple as that."

"And sometimes clothing can be a way of expressing yourself," added Ivan, a soft smile on his face as he touched the jacket hanging off the back of his chair. "Of feeling true to yourself, no matter what happens."

Antonio took another beer bottle from the waiter.

"...that could be true too," he admitted. "I just can't see anything past what it started out as."

"Family." Karina suddenly half-sighed, half-laughed and exchanged knowing glances with Pao-Lin. "I bet that's the other reason. We're too used to having him to ourselves."

"What do you mean?" asked Barnaby, looking to her.

"If I came back from a fight with a bruise, would you guys say anything? Even if it was big and obvious?"

There was a chorus of nos and headshaking.

"Exactly," Karina said triumphantly. "If you did say anything, it would be along the lines of asking if I was hurt or in pain. You would have all been there when I'd gotten it, and known why. My parents, on the other hand, would go through the roof and start lecturing me about being careful, and that maybe I shouldn't be... doing what I was doing. After the first lecture, I just started carrying around concealer; it was easier. Pao-Lin probably has the same problem."

"Not really," interjected the Chinese girl. "Since I don't live with my parents."

"But how would Kaede-chan react if she saw bruises on him?" said Nathan. "Because I don't think he's worried the adults in his family."

"Now that she knows..." Antonio sighed as Nathan shook a finger at him. "She'd worry even more than she already does."

"So it's really less that he's hiding his injuries, and more that he's trying not to worry others," Ivan finished. "And still be himself."

There was silence at the table, each one thinking over what had been said.

"Sooo... what are we gonna get him for his birthday?" Pao-Lin asked again, reaching for more yellow rice. "Because I'm thinking we should leave clothing choices to him."

"A stuffed tiger. Lime green."

"Just admit that you love the bunny he got you Handsome!" laughed Nathan.

"Hey, I'm back!" called out Kotetsu, sliding into his seat near Barnaby. "Did I miss anything important?"

"Nah, just talking about the good old days," said Antonio. "And you should have waited a minute."

"Why?"

"'Cause then your beer would've been mine!"

(おまけ) / (Bonus)

"Hey, Kotetsu, I have a question." Barnaby laid down on the bed and wrapped his arms around his partner.

"What's the question, Bunny-chan?"

"Why do you always wear a vest and long-sleeved shirt?"

* * *

Letter from the Soup - V for Vest

Feel free to send a Wild Roar by comment or kudos!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Kotetsu doesn't have a Bandai given birthday, unlike Barnaby, but I've seen over the internet that fans have given him February 17th, so that's what I went with.


	5. Instinct

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [Set after the introduction of Lunatic - volume 4 of the manga / episode 7 of the anime.] Kotetsu takes Bunny's advice of intelligence over instinct.

Yuri pushed the door open to his office with a barely concealed sigh. 

_More paperwork, more victims, and more people getting away with literal murder. I wonder if Lunatic should appear during the new moon as well as the full moon?_

He paused, seeing a tall, spiky haired man in a white vest and green, long-sleeved shirt bending over the pictures he had on display in the weak window light. 

_That's right. I wanted to talk to Wild Tiger._

"I see-"

Tiger jumped, his hip catching the table and throwing all of the pictures into a frenzied, wobbling dance. The two of them stood frozen, watching, then sighing in relief that nothing had broken. 

"Hahaha, sorry," the lanky man grinned, rubbing his head. "But no harm done, right?" 

_There are no fines that could replace those photographs._

"I see you received my message," Yuri finished smoothly, transferring the stack of papers resting against his chest to the overflowing inbox on the right side of his desk. 

_Truth be told, my whole desk is the inbox._

"I was just admiring your pictures," said Tiger, looking back at them. "Are they family?" 

"Not at all," replied Yuri. "I have enough criminals paraded daily into my office that I don't feel the need to entice them with ideas of revenge." 

_And I don't need another set of eyes judging me here._

"Ah, yeah." Tiger shoved his hands into his pockets. "I can understand that. It's why all of us have Hero names and masks." 

"Except for Mr. Brooks."

_I still suspect Mr. Maverick behind that irrational action, since the man was most insistent during registration, but as I'm uncertain what gains could be made of it, I'm unsure what to look for._

"Yeah, except for Bunny. Though he might be regretting that every time he tries to go out shopping and ends up getting mobbed instead," laughed Tiger. 

"Hmm." Yuri's lips lifted at the amusing thought. 

_I'll have to keep a closer watch on them. This is not the first time a NEXT has come with such baggage, but Mr. Brooks is quite extraordinary in his resolve, and being hand-picked by Mr. Maverick makes it even more of a special case._

"Looks like you're pretty busy." The Hero nodded at the untidy, towering stack of papers, drawing Yuri's eyes with the motion. 

_Always._

"And so," Yuri said, turning to smile at Wild Tiger, "I'll get right to the point. I wanted to thank you for your latest 'Crusher of Justice' moment." 

Blushing and grimancing at the same time, the Japanese man rubbed the back of his head. 

"That would be the... the truck into the apartment building, right? Or is there something else I haven't gotten an invoice for?"

"No, that was the precise one." Judge Petrov began to shuffle some of the papers on his desk, pitching a flyer for deliverable sushi into the full trash. "Thanks to that, and the effect of the inhabitants needing to leave immediately, we were able to find evidence of both elder abuse and child abuse with the two families in the complex that we've been keeping our eyes on." 

_Something we've been sitting on for too long._

"Wait, what?!" Tiger's eyes narrowed. "You knew, and you left people in an abusive situation?!"

_Trust me, it's not by choice. At least your villains are stupid enough to be caught on live TV... I have to cheer my on from the sidelines, praying that they step into a trap I've laid along the way._

Yuri spread his hands out.

"Unfortunately, yes, in these cases we had to. There was not enough evidence to obtain a search warrant for one family, and as for the other, they kept slipping out of our grasp." 

Tiger scowled and made a fist. 

"You should have just arrested them!" he declared, gesturing wildly. "Not... not allowed them to keep hurting other people!"

_If only._

"I work for the Administration of Justice,  **not** Hero TV. That means," Yuri continued, holding up a finger to forestall Tiger's next outburst, "I don't have as much... leniency, we'll call it, as you do. If you, in the midst of catching a criminal, find another crime in progress, you can act on that to arrest both suspects. Everybody cheers, you're awarded points, and people thank you. I, and the people who work with me, must already have evidence as strong as either you or your partner when NEXT powers have been activated. Otherwise, the person gets away, and we may not find them again. Or, we find their victims. In the morgue."

_Never heard the phrase "the wheels of justice turn slowly, but grind exceedingly fine"? My office may be slow, but I do try to capture the spirit of the latter phrasal part at least._

Tiger closed his mouth, eyes downcast. 

"I... I hadn't thought of it that way."

_Nobody does._

"Hadn't thought that these people, if they were to know that we were watching them, would get up and move? It's happened before, and I dare say it'll happen again, something usually slips through the information cracks. However, we now have enough evidence, for both situations, to put the perpetrators behind bars."

_And if not, then Lunatic might need to pay them a visit. Either way, thanks to you, justice will be delivered._

"Um... good." Wild Tiger let out a small laugh, turning it into a cough. "Any chance that could decrease my fine a bit? I have a da... daydream that one day all my fines will have been paid."

_Interesting_ _... were you about to say "daughter" Wild Tiger?_

"No." Yuri shook his head.

"Why not? If I saved people?"

"Tiger, what is justice?" Yuri asked. As the man began to answer, a black cell phone on the desk began to sound, rattling paper with its vibration mode. Yuri looked at the number. "Excuse me for a moment, Mr. Tiger, but I must take this."

_Unfortunately_ _, one does not simply ignore the mayor's call._

Snatching up the phone, Yuri slipped out into the hall, leaving Tiger along with his thoughts. Thankfully, the phone call didn't take more than two minutes of reassurance, and his hand was resting on the doorknob when he heard a raised voice in the room.  

_Did he receive a phone call as well?_

Yuri pressed his ear against the door.

"...justic... Lunatic?!"

_Well... this could be serendipitous, if not what I meant to happen at all._

Palming a key from his inner jacket pocket, he unlocked the room next to his office, checking to make sure that the hallway was clear, before slipping into a darker room that held a pen, a notepad, a comfortable chair, and enough technical equipment to record what was happening in his office.

_Thank you again Ms. Keanna, for having the audacity to try and steal Hero information from my office last year; this one-way mirror is still proving extremely useful._

"...wait..." Yuri watched as Tiger rapped his forehead with his knuckles. "Bunny's always harping about using intelligence over instinct, so let's try that approach before I accuse him of murder. Judge Petrov's always been fair. Firm, but fair." 

_Good to know what you think of me._

Tiger frowned, cracking his knuckles. "So... if he's fair, then how could he be the one killing people? He couldn't, right? That's not balanced at all." 

_Black and white is balanced, but I believe you see the color as a solid grey. I could remain grey all the time, as I do at work, or I could balance my black and white, which is what being Lunatic allows. I make myself even more stable by spreading my actions between the_ _two._

The agitated hero paced the room, huffing and sighing and arguing with himself; Yuri settled into the chair, crossing his legs and switching on the recording equipment, mostly so that he could hear the man clearly than to have proof of anything.

_Maybe I should have all of them do this. I could learn a lot about what makes Stern's Heroes tick. And possibly what breaks them._

"Okay, first of all, Judge Petrov works in the Administration of Justice. Of course he has an idea of what justice is, and that other people probably have different ideas. That's obvious. How many times has Kaede said I was being unfair?"

 _And who is Kaede to you?_   _The daughter you might have let slip?_

"On the other hand, that was almost word for word that same thing... I think?" There was a hissing sound, Tiger sucking air in between his teeth in frustration. "I  **remember**  Lunatic asking me that same question. But... there's only so many ways to say the same thing with the same words, right? Otherwise pizza becomes a cheesy, tomato-covered circle of dough."

Yuri watched at Kotetsu paced back and forth, stopping in front of the pictures. A quavering hand reached out to pick up the one with Yuri and Ms. Agatha. 

_I should call her up and see if she'd like tea tomorrow. Since her abusive sister disappeared, she' s been discovering so much more about herself._

Tiger put it down to pick up another one. 

_Old Mr. Kowalski. Had no idea who was stealing from his bank account at first, but he went to his grave happy that his thieving grandson was serving his community service at a nursing home._

"But there are all these pictures..."

Pace. Pace. Pace. 

"And I've seen bad people do good things. Nobody's fully evil. And even those who think they're good people can end up doing really bad things." 

_Oh? Should I be keeping my eye on you, Tiger? Or is this about your partner?_

"I feel it. I feel it in my gut that he's Lunatic. It makes sense. A judge would be in the perfect position to know, to have the information about who's done what."

 _Hmmm... this could be unfortunate._ Yuri shifted slightly in the chair.

"But... the evidence doesn't make sense. Why would a judge in charge of justice become a viligante?"

_Because they became sick of nothing being done to help those that really need it._

Tiger sighed, then flopped down on the couch in front of the desk. He cradled his head in his hands, causing his voice to come in muffled.

"Ugh... I should listen to Bunny more often. These thoughts... they're just making me sick."

_Interesting that he'd trust his partner over his own instincts. Most people never obtain that level in a relationship. I wonder if there's more than just being partners?_

Yuri turned off the machines, gave the command for the MP4 to be sent to his personal email box, then left the room, locking it behind him. 

"My apologies Mr. Tiger," he said upon entering the room, eyeing the man on his couch. "Now, where were we?" 

"My idea of justice." The words were low, as if the Hero didn't want to say them. 

_Still fighting your instincts? Let's make sure that you don't reminisce about this conversation and come to a different conclusion. You're one of the few Heroes that I admire Mr. Wild - I'd rather not mar that unnecessarily._

"I asked that because for most people, their idea of justice is rooted in, well, being just. Being fair." Yuri strode over to the corner of his desk and leaned against it. "If I lowered your fine, many people would have the idea that my action wasn't fair, and that I was favoring you." 

"But, you could just say that I helped people," protested Tiger, locking eyes with Yuri.

"Would you want me to mention who? How? Or even where? Bringing in a single detail would mark these people as the abused, those that are 'not strong enough,' 'easy to take advantage of,' or even 'stupid'."

"I didn't..." 

_Didn't think? Probably not, most only think for themselves._

"Do you remember the  _It's Me*_ scam?" Yuri continued in a pleasant voice, as if Tiger hadn't just spoken. "It targeted the elderly, the more vulnerable people in our society. Someone would call an old name from the phone book, and plead-"

"Hey, it's me, I need some help," continued Tiger, his voice dull. "The person would say the name of who they thought it was, and when the caller repeated it back, they thought it was the real person." 

"And then someone else took over, saying that they were holding the person for ransom, that the person owed them money, or however they wanted to play it out," finished Yuri, nodding. "You seem very familiar with this. Did someone you know fall victim to it?"

 Tiger nodded. 

"Yeah. One of our neighbors. They called and pretended to be her son. Stole her life savings." 

"And how did the neighborhood react, once word of that got out?" pressed Yuri. "Did they pity the woman? Or..." The judge opened one hand and gestured upwards. 

"To her face they pitied her," Tiger replied, eyes looking anywhere but at Yuri. "... but, behind her back... they wondered how stupid the woman was, not knowing the voice of her own son." 

" **That's**  why I'm not going to release any information about the ones that you helped," said Yuri. "Let them be able to walk away from this, to go somewhere else and not have everybody sneer at them, jeer at them behind their backs." 

"I understand," said Tiger, taking his cap off to fiddle with it. "It can't be done without looking unfair, and for it to look fair, it would actually harm them. With that being the case, I have no problem with your judgement." 

"That is why I invited you in here. To thank you." Yuri nodded. "From one crusader of justice to another." 

_No matter that we each answer justice in our own way; the fact that we answer is enough._

Tiger smiled, and Yuri felt his an answering one on his face; there was a special energy with this man, a natural one that rolled off in calming waves.

_Enough. You've already behind on today's schedule._

"Now, I've got work to do, and I'm sure that you have paperwork as well."

"Heh, I usually leave it with Bunny. It gets done that way, quicker and with more details." 

_Fair enough. I can sense that your coworker probably has more patience with that aspect of the job than you do._

Yuri nodded. 

"Have a great day then, and I'll see you soon." 

_Most likely with the next ream of paperwork for something you've damaged. Oh well. Your heart's in the right place, unlike those other so-called Heroes._

"Probably," smirked Tiger. "And hey... thanks for all of your hard work too." He pointed to the messy desk. "You guys here do just as much, if not more work than us, and nobody says thanks." 

_...I was not expecting that._

"Some do say it..." said Yuri, nodding at the table. "My photographs are proof of that. But, coming from you? From a Hero of Stern? All I can say to that is 'you're welcome.'" 

Tiger waved goodbye and headed out the door, leaving Yuri alone with what his life had become: work.

 _At least get a good cardio workout in a few nights each month_. 

Yuri chuckled, grabbing the top file. 

_Ah, Mr. Koddy. It looks like the victim testifying against you has suddenly dropped all charges; what a surprise. I think you and I might need to have a chat later on this week._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *The "It's Me" scam that Yuri talks about is well know (and still used) in Japan. It's called the Ore-Ore Sagi, and at least 11,000 people have admitted to falling victim to it (the number is probably much higher).


	6. Unwavering

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kotetsu and Ivan have a conversation about trolls. [Future Fic]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Stern Bild is how it's marketed Japan, and in the anime car plates are in two words as well, so even though the online Wiki says Sternbild, I'm going to write it separately, like New York.

"Don't you get tired?" asked Ivan, his purple eyes focusing on Kotetsu. 

"Hmmh?" Kotetsu's  mouth was full of deliciousness, and he could only look at his fellow Hero with wide eyes, his wider mouth wrapped around pita stuffed with spicy-mayo chicken. "Mmph uu mmh?" 

Ivan had to laugh at that, turning to look up at the sky with a heart already feeling a bit lighter. The two of them were out on the rooftop, having finished their gym workout earlier than the others, and the day could have been painted by a combined effort from Blue Rose and Sky High. The heavens were a thick scattering of clouds, scatted into wisps so that an icy blue peeked out from behind waves of pale grey. It looked as if someone had been playing tag again. Even the crooks must have though today was too beautiful to commit crimes, since Agnes had been suspiciously quiet. There'd probably be hell to pay later for that, maybe in the form of a Summer Special program.

"You're always so... so steady," Ivan continued, playing with the water bottle that he held,  _sakura_  petals tumbling beneath his slender fingers. "You have your beliefs, and no matter what people say or do to you, you don't give them an inch."

Kotetsu swallowed, wiping at his mouth with the back of his hand. 

"Trolls on your blog again?" 

Ivan shook his head, turning his skyward glance to look out over the city. This high up, they couldn't see any individual people, but the rush, the crush of Stern Bild* reached with no problem. 

"No..." He hesitated, then sighed. "Trolls in my head." 

"Those are sometimes the hardest to ignore," admitted Kotetsu, chomping into the middle, saucy part of the kebab and motioning for Ivan to keep talking. "Mph nn." 

"You've never cared about what others say, and I wish... I wish I knew the secret." Ivan looked up at his  _senpai_  and glared. "You're laughing at me." 

Kotetsu shook his head, holding up a finger as he snickered, trying not to spray the younger Hero with half-eaten food.. 

"Not at you," he said immediately after swallowing. "It's just that you've misunderstood something."

"What?" 

"I do care what other people think." 

Ivan's mouth fell open. 

"But... you..."

"I listen to other people, and as I said, I do care, but I just care more about what I believe." He paused, rubbing the back of his head. "Um... that came out wrong. Let's see if I can explain it a bit better..." Tiger scratched his chin. 

"You overheard Llyods the other day, right?" 

Ivan nodded. Everyone had. Tiger being Tiger, had accidentally destroyed an apartment complex, one that was thankfully scheduled to be demolished, but he'd been chewed out in the doorway as everyone had come in o the gym area, making a beeline for the shower room after a hard battle. Llyods had scolded him like a child in front of all the other Heroes. Barnaby, Antonio, Keith, and Nathan had all walked by, waving to Kotetsu, but the younger Heroes hadn't been able to face the embarrassment, choosing to look at the floor as they awkwardly skittered away, the man's admonishments ringing in the lobby. 

"I understood what he was complaining about. What if it hadn't been empty? There could have been people inside." Kotetsu shuddered at the thought. "However, I don't regret blocking the car that criminal threw. It would have hit Pao-Lin, or if she had dodged it, then the civilians behind her."

"There's gotta be a trick to doing that though." 

"There is." Kotetsu leaned back and smiled, kebab held to the side. "Ready?"

Ivan nodded, determination in his eyes. 

"The trick is to care, and then to set it aside." 

"Huh?" The shapeshifter shook his head. "I don't understand..." 

"You get great comments on your blog, right?" Kotetsu smiled. "I'm sure you do. Maybe not in an equal number to the trolls, but, well, social media an' all that." 

"Y-yeah, sometimes," stammered Ivan. "I, um... I actually just had someone tell me that I'm their favorite Hero. They always felt as if nobody noticed them, but when they saw that I was being more active, they thought they they could too. They told me they made their first friend."

"Congratulations!" Kotetsu's grin got bigger and his empty hand clapped Ivan on the shoulder. "It sounds like you really reached out to someone, so we'll have to celebrate that later tonight. But, I have a question." The remaining kebab waved about in the air as he shook it at the younger Hero. "Do you write your blog for those comments?" 

Ivan shook his head. 

"No. They're nice, but I don't write to get them." 

"Do you think Karina sings to get compliments? Or Nathan dresses... well, that might be true for them." Kotetsu laughed again. "They do like to hear how gorgeous they are." 

Ivan's lips quirked, and he moved forward to sit down, slightly out of range of the kebab-possible-weapon.

"Or let me ask it another way. Do you stop writing because of bad comments?" 

Ivan looked away. The clouds were starting to weave together; Keith would probably insist on flying through them. 

"...I think about it sometimes." 

"And then you set it aside, right? You don't let it get to you." 

Ivan nodded. 

"I can't. If I let every person's bad comments needle me, then I wouldn't write anymore." He blushed. "Edward had to remind me of that." 

"And we all could use such reminders," agreed Kotetsu. "The others waving at me when Llyods was yelling? They're not brushing it off, they're just showing that they'll see me later. Barnaby usually gives me a compliment." 

Kotetsu stood up, and brought his hands (and kebab) up to mimic Barnaby's suit ears, trying for a casual pose and a slightly-annoyed voice. "'I don't see why Llyods needs to yell; you brought the building down in one strike, and it didn't hit anything else. The demolishing company should be paying you.'"

Ivan put a hand over his mouth to cover up a smile; it was all Kotetsu's voice, but there was enough in there to bring the blonde Hero to mind. 

"Antonio usually ribs me about the fine I'll be getting." Kotetsu puffed out his chest and took on a deeper voice, planting his feet firmly on the ground. "'Looks like I'm going to have to supporting Kaede. You're gonna be paying fines until she's as old as Anju.'"

Ivan chortled at the Antonio impression, now putting both hands over his mouth to hide his amusement. He was also very glad that he hadn't been drinking or eating anything. 

"Nathan was all sweet syrup," continued the older man, a twinkle in his eye. "Rubbing up against me and brushing my arm. They told me, 'If you need cheering up, you can sleep with me tonight!' And Keith clapped me on the back, saying 'thanks for taking one for the team.'"

He did the arm gestures that the Wind master had perfected over the years; a little shredded lettuce escaped to land on the floor, giving up in the face of such exuberant movements.

"And probably 'thanks again,' grinned Ivan, shaking his head. 

"I'm lucky," said Kotetsu, reverting back to his own voice and polishing off the last of his food. "I have people that help me silence the Llyod trolls in my head." 

"But... I can ignore people when they attack me personally. If they have good advice though..."

"Like Llyods? That's when you listen, try to take what you can out of it, and then put it out of your mind." Kotetsu adjusted his hat. "It helps that I've probably heard every lecture about ten times by now." 

"So, I should care... but I shouldn't?" Ivan let out a frustrated sigh. "If there was ever an example of zen..." 

"That's a good way to think of it. Meditate, think about what you know to be 'right' and 'wrong'. Intuition can guide you in that. I can think, objectively, that Lloyds is right. I should watch out to make sure I don't take down random buildings. However, I was also right to protect Pao-Lin and the people behind her. In his case, only property was damaged. In my case, I helped keep people from injury. I'm happy with my intuition and action, which means I can set his lecture to go in one ear and out the other." 

"I guess... I guess I can try that."

"Good!" Kotetsu ruffled Ivan's hair, grinning unrepentantly. "It takes practice, quieting the voices in our head. It also takes time, and friends. Sometimes years." 

Ivan didn't remark on how Kotetsu's eyes softened, looking in the direction of the locker room. He did wonder, however, how he'd be able to cheer the man up the next time Lloyds decided to publicly berate him. Maybe a written message crafted into an origami tiger?


	7. Blackness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dragon Kid and Kotetsu talk in, and about, what the dark brings [Future Fic - about 1 year after the epilogue]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For being so patient during NaNoWrimo ~ Thank you, and again, thank you! Words were written and coffee was drunk, so I give you the next chapter :)

Two bodies were sprawled out on the ground, one of them a young girl in dusty yellow, curled up around herself as supple as any cat. The other was a taller man in a green shirt with a white and red vest, an immense concrete block lying on top both of his legs. There was a sliver of light around them, enough to see faint outlines, but not enough for anything else, not from where the main part of the street had collapsed. That's what normally happened when Silver fell onto Bronze, and then Bronze opened up a hole into areas reclaimed from the rivers. As the seconds ticked by, one more piece of debris rocked at the lip of the street above, then crashed down, stealing away the sliver. 

Utter blackness.

The girl was the first to stir, stretching until she let out a gasp and clasped her left shoulder. Dragon Kid probed the injury, careful not to make it worse, but determined to know the extent of the damage. Not broken, thankfully. Either sprained, or possibly dislocated, but neither of which she really wanted to test out now. She tucked the pain-radiating arm closer to her, peering around in the dark and listening.

"That's right..." she said, her voice oddly distorted in the area, bouncing off of places never meant to project sound.

 _Not quite an echo, but not normal either_.  _I don't think we have a clear exit._

"I was standin-Tiger!" She suddenly yelled out, spinning to look around for her companion. Dragon Kid staggered a little bit, too much movement too fast, and caught herself with a loud-sounding palm on a wall. 

_Crap. Can't see when there's no light._

Her eyes glowed powder-blue, and she kept a small ball of electricity crackling in her open palm that belonged to her unhurt arm. It would do in a pinch. Shadows flickered, and all she could see for a few minutes were slices of darkness marred by lighter shades of stone.

"Not the best light," she muttered, "but better than nothing. Tiger?" Her voice gained in volume as she didn't hear anything. "Are you okay? Tiger? Where are you?" 

A groan came from behind her, so she aimed her electricity that way, letting it crackle through the air and splatter against the stone wall, harmless . Her eyes widened when see saw him, sprawled out on the ground, legs under a massive chunk of road and his white vest splattered red. 

 _Nothing's still bleeding though_ , she thought, bringing up a new ball and looking over him quickly with a keen eye. Her light wasn't glistening off of wet blood, so it must have occurred before.

"'Kid?" Tiger coughed, sounding as if he sucked down dust for every breath he took. His eyes fluttered open, focusing on her after a few seconds. "What happened?" 

"The building fell," she replied, leaning against a wall next to him. "And you pushed me out of the way."

"Tried to,” he managed to get out, hacking his lungs up around a cough. 

_Good old Tiger, always ready with a smile. Even if there was nothing to smile about. Even when there were little black bits staining his teeth as he smiled._

“You're still here." 

"Pushing me out of the way doesn't mean I wouldn't be trapped." She watched as he mouthed her words, probably trying to follow her logic. "Luckily, no one else was around, so it's probably just us down here." 

“Call?” 

_That's probably not going to work._

Dragon Kid checked her call band. 

_Just as I figured._

“I can’t get a signal,” she said, sighing and coming over to crouch down next to the older Hero. There was a smoother section of rock near his right shoulder, so she sat on that, discretely stretching as her eyes flickered to his confined position. “I think your legs are trapped, but it is possible to slide them out from underneath?"

_With our luck, that'll be a hard no._

Tiger strained against the concrete block.

“No,” he gasped, gritting his teeth. “I’m stuck. Not until... I get my power... back. At least.”

_Called it. I can't tell if it's bad luck that follows him, or just a series of coincidences._

Dragon Kid looked over him.

_He looks pretty bad._

“You’re still coughing... did your chest get hit?”

“I’m not sure,” confessed Tiger, grinning lopsidedly. “I think so. Hurts at any rate.”

_Great. I wish one of the others were here with us, they'd know what to do. Sky High knows basic field medicine at least._

“Then we just need to wait,” she said, extinguishing her light and hearing a small gasp. “The others’ll finds us soon, so, um... take shallow breaths.”

_I don't like how he's sounding, that gasp wasn't good._

“They could... you should keep... light on.”

“But we’ll hear them before they see my light,” Dragon Kid argued. “So it’s a waste of energy.” There was a small giggle at the pun. 

“Maybe... we can dig... ourselves out,” rasped Tiger.  

“You're stuck, and my power’s not strength,” she said, giving him a look he didn’t see in the darkness. “We’re going to need more than just me to get you free.”

They both went silent. Dragon Kid closed her eyes.

_I wonder where the others are right now? Do they know that we're missing? Or are they still evacuating civilians? How long will it take them to find us down here?_

A rapid panting caught her attention. 

“Tiger? Are you okay?” She asked. Then she shook her head.

 _Of course he's not okay Pao-Lin! We're trapped underground, he's injured, and he's being squished like... like a moon cake in your youngest cousin's grimy hands!_  

“...fine,” he said, the word ending on a slight whine. “I’m okay.”

Their last conversation played through her head, and her eyes widened. 

_And he only got agitated when I let my electricity fade..._

“Tiger,” She said, her voice slow and cautious. “Are you afraid of the dark?”

“Nonsense!” He exploded, the laughter turning into more coughing, hacking, and wheezing. 

_Seriously? Tiger?_

“You wouldn’t be the only one with fears, if you are,” she continued, making sure to keep her voice soft. “Karina’s afraid of fire. The kind Lunatic has. And I think Nathan is too.”

“...they've got... reason, at least. His fire's... scary.”

“So you are afraid of the dark!” Dragon Kid immediately relit a small globe in her hand, examining her fellow Hero. “Why didn’t you say something?”

“I’m not... afraid... of the dark...” Tiger puffed, his face pale and annoyed. “Not exactly.”

Dragon Kid waited, but he didn’t explain.

“Why not exactly?” She finally asked bluntly, her arms folding over her chest as she stood up, done with sitting on the rock.

 _I wish I hadn't lost my staff in this mess, I feel like I need to do something, even if it's a little practice while we wait_. 

In return, he sighed, ending with an unhealthy sounding wheeze. 

_Just how badly is he hurt?_

“Worried about,” he said, spacing out his words with his breath. “What the... darkness... brings...”

“What do you mean?” She moved closer to his head, leaning against an outcropping and making sure that he could see the light. 

“Everything... bad happens... in the dark.” He scowled. “During blackout... I was helping... my wife died...”

 

_...what do I say to that?_

 

Dragon Kid didn’t know. She remembered when Tiger had told them his wife had died of illness, the information pulled out with the appearance of the mayor's child. 

 _A death is hard enough, but to not be there when they crossed over?  Not being able to say a final goodbye?_ She closed her eyes and gave a heartfelt thanks that she’d at least been able to see her grandmother in time. 

 

“... battled Jake... at night...”

_That’s right! It’d been after his battle that Ms. Agnes had negotiated a deal with Jake, saying that night wasn't the best time for ratings._

“Didn’t trust... Bunny... at night...”

 _Had that been at night?_   _When did we rescue Origami Cyclone?_ She wasn't sure, so she didn't say anything; Tiger was rambling enough for both of them.

“More too. But now...” he gave a grin, and she was startled, focusing on the glossiness that was painted against his bottom lip. “Here.... in the dark.”

“Nothing bad will happen this time,” she said, stumbling closer, frantically checking him over again. 

_This isn't fair, there was only blood on his teeth, not on his lips. Shit, I shouldn't have assumed his trapped legs were the worst, even if they're probably broken beyond belief._

“Tiger, what hurts the worst?” she asked, ignoring the odd echoes her voice made.

“Everything,” he laughed, but it turned into a moan of pain, and he squeezed his eyes shut, turning away from her. Away from the light she held.

_No. No no no, he hasn't been back with us for even a year yet. This is too close to That Day... too close to what we thought had already happened._

“But there has to be a worst,” she argued. “Your legs? Your chest? Your arm?”

“What’s wrong with my arm?” He asked, trying to turn his head. “I can’t see it, and I can’t really feel it.”

Dragon Kid looked at the piece of rebar that pinned the arm to the ground. 

"Nothing," she lied, looking away from it. "It was just another option to choose from." 

"So... not afraid... of the dark... just what... it brings..." He finished with a shuddering rasp, his body shaking. 

"Stop talking!" she said, tapping her call bracelet again. There had to be a signal, this was Stern Bild, right? The most technologically advanced city in the region. One of the many reasons she had begged her parents to let her be a Hero here.

"Drag--- -id!" There was a crackle, and she could have cried at the sound of Rock Bison. "Whe-- --- -ou?" 

"Down!" She shouted out, glancing over at Tiger. He was being silent. Too silent. She's overheard Barnaby talking to Fire Emblem about That Day and apparently the Japanese man hadn't stopped talking until he'd passed out. 

_Did he pass out again? Or did something worse..._

"Tiger?" She took a step closer. He was still breathing, and that small action of his chest rising and falling, even as it did so with an uneven rhythm, did a lot to calm her heart.

"We're down! Trapped!" She shouted again, placing her mouth near to the receiver. Technology didn't quite work that way-if there was no signal then no matter how hard she shouted, nobody would hear her. But she couldn't help it. 

"Tiger, tell me about Kaede," she said, casting about for a subject she was sure he could go on forever. "Talk to me about Barnaby!" 

"...bunny...?" His voice slurred worse than before, and his eyes were shut. Just after one word he started to cough again, red flecking the area around his mouth. "where...?"

"He's coming," she said. "Rock Bison heard me." 

_Please let him have heard me. I can't do this on my own!_

Something sounded off to the left. A cracking noise came from one spot, then several others. Bits and pieces of loose debris began to fall from the caved-in ceiling, and she threw herself forward, covering Tiger's head, letting out a soft cry as something hit her in the back. Then, light shone in, and she released her glow, standing up to face the direction of the noise. 

"You guys okay?" asked Rock Bison, tossing aside a larger section of the highway, one that she and Ivan probably wouldn't have been able to move while working together. 

"He needs help," she said, turning around and pointing to Tiger. If her finger was trembling, nobody said anything.

"Well, the rescue team's arrived," announced Fire Emblem, peering around Bison's massive shoulders. "I made sure to bring an ambulance too, just in case." 

"Not really just in case," muttered Baranaby, pushing past Rock Bison and making a beeline toward his partner, a worried scowl on his face. "It's more expected at this point." 

"He was coughing really badly," Dragon Kid said, arms twisting together. 

"Did his chest get hit? Or his ribs?" 

"We don't know." 

Barnaby rose to a standing position, Tiger lying limp in his arms. Dragon Kid pretended not to see the tears in his eyes; it was easy since her own were staring to make the room go wavy. 

"He'll be fine," said Fire Emblem, their voice low and husky. They placed a hand on her shoulder as they both watched Barnaby carry Tiger out, Rock Bison trailing after them. 

"... that was horrible!" Dragon Kid finally blurted out, dashing the tears from her eyes with one hand.

"I'm sure." 

She looked up at Fire Emblem. 

"That's two of us you know! Who've nearly seen him... him die." 

"Maybe it wasn't that bad." 

"He was coughing up blood. Had trouble breathing. And both his legs are definitely broken." 

They both glance to the newly-created entrance, where Bunny and Rock Bison had gone. 

"... how are you?" Fire Emblem darted a look towards her. "Physically." 

She opened her mouth to respond that she was fine, then winced as Tiger's shaky confirmation of being okay came back to her. 

"I've had better days," she finally said, rolling her neck. "But I've also had worse." 

"Let's get you checked out, then we can visit Tiger and Sky High in the hospital." 

"Sky High?!" Dragon Kid turned her wide eyes on Fire Emblem. "What happened to him?"

"It was either him or Origami. The aftereffects of a train car I believe." They gave her a look. "Probably the same thing that happened here, if my guess is correct."

Dragon Kid shook her head, scowling. 

"I hate not having something strength-based sometimes." 

"Did I ever tell you about the time Tiger saved me?" Fire Emblem's voice filled the area, casting all of those horrible thoughts she'd had back into the crevices they'd crawled out of. She followed the older Hero, determined not to look around.

 _Heroes do die_ she reminded herself.  _But... not today. Not here. And that'll have to be good enough for now._

* * *

 

Letter from the Soup - B for Blackness

Feel free to send a Wild Roar by leaving a kudos or a comment!

(Thank you, and again, thank you for all who have!)


	8. Magic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: Keith cooks, both he and Kotetsu sample, and the result is...magical. [Future Fic/Crack! Fic]

"Thanks again for hosting this Keith," said Kotetsu, raising a beer bottle to the blonde currently cooking in the kitchen. 

"A pleasure, and truly, a pleasure," Keith returned the smile, stretching backwards to check on his oven. "My neighbor gave me this risotto recipe, and I've been wanting to try it out, but she assured me it's best for parties."

"Well, if all the food is any indication, then this will be a great gathering."

The two men turned to survey the seventeen-layer nacho dip,  DIY-tacos, assortment of drinks, and from the balcony came the sweet smell of ribs being slow cooked on the burner. And several dishes of fried rice, compliments of Kotetsu.

"It took a while to get all of the ingredients, but I think it'll be worth it." The wind wizard let out a little happy sigh.

"I didn't know you liked to cook."

Keith shrugged.

"It started off as a necessity, but then it became a hobby. John likes my cooking too, don’t you John?”

The dog let out a deep whoof, looking up briefly from the floor, but going back to his quest to devour anything that had fallen.

"Sorry John, nothing yet."

Kotetsu smirked; Keith actually sounded apologetic that they had spilled nothing. 

"Looks like the rissoto is done." Keith grabbed his oven mitts and scooped the dish out of the oven, setting it to cool on the countertop. "Did you want to have a little bit before the others come?" 

The Japanese man grinned. 

"Is that okay? It's not like cheating or anything, is it?" 

"No, the cook needs to know how their creation tastes. Besides," Keith let out a sparking smile. "Watch." 

He took two small dishes from the cabinet and scooped a huge helping into each of them, then smoothed over the main dish so that there were marks or blemishes.

"No one will notice a thing," promised Keith.

"Nice!" 

Kotetsu popped a bit of it onto his tongue. 

"Creamy, and the black pepper really adds to the cheese. Not contradicting, but complementary." 

"I think I added too much red onion," mourned Keith, licking his spoon. "And maybe it needs a little more spice?"

"Nah, it's good." Kotetsu had another bite. "Anymore and Karina probably won't eat it. Besides,it's better than good, it's really great!" 

"Thanks, and thanks again!" 

They looked over the laden table again, eating until their spoons scraped against the ceramic.

"The ribs will take a while to cook." 

"What should we do until then? We've got about thirty minutes?" 

"How about helping me find some music? Every time I get a group together, they say my music taste is horrible." 

Kotetsu was already up, fingers itching to see what type of taste Keith had. Probably bubblegum pop, or something as equally upbeat and nauseating.

"The CDs are near the player," said Keith, giving John a pet on the head as the dog followed Kotetsu to the other side of the room. 

"Sorry little buddy, I still don't have anything for you," the older man said, grinning as the dog let out a deep 'humph', then curled up on the edge of the sofa. "Let's see what the former King of Heroes listens to in his spare time. Louis Armstrong... Miles Davis... Billie Holiday...Keith, you like jazz?" 

Keith let out a laugh, loud enough to be heard all the way from the kitchen. 

"Have you actually listened to any of them? It's almost as if they play pure happiness." 

Soft footsteps came closer, and a hand plucked a CD case from Kotetu's grip.

"It's almost the same reason I choose to buy CDs as well as MP3s. When I'm at home relaxing, there's a steadiness in placing the CD in the read tray. A pleasure in the older ways, sometimes overlooked in the pursuit of progress.”

He gave a happy, contented grin, taking out the shiny disc and placing it in the Victrola nearby. Kotetsu stared at it in shock as a soft, soothing saxophone began to play. 

"That's a record player, right? An old one?" 

"It is. But it also plays CDs, and it can even pick up MP3s and stream them, though I don't really use it that way." 

Kotetsu bent over at the waist, giving the small machine an astonished looked over. Sure enough, one of the dials wasn't for volume, but was a hidden on switch to use RedEar.

"So, which do you prefer" asked Kotetsu as he straightened up. "CDs or records?" 

"Depends where I am and what I'm doing," answered the Hero. "Flying through the sky with a personal soundtrack is something that cannot be matched, and I have to use MP3s for that,  but that feeling of playing a record in front of a crackling fireplace also has its charm.”

Kotetsu looked around the room and scratched his head. 

"Keith, you don't have a fireplace." 

"Oh, not here. In my other house. The one on Silver." 

"Heh, I guess you get paid pretty well." Kotetsu tried to keep the envy out of his voice. It was a little easier when he remembered that Keith didn't have an awesome daughter like Kaede. 

"I do. But I also don't normally need to pay fines." 

Kotetsu had to laugh at that. 

"True," he admitted. "Maybe one day I'll stop being so clumsy." 

"I used to be very clumsy when I first got my power," Keith admitted, sitting on the couch to scratch behind John's ears. "It took at least a year to figure out how to control it, then another year to fully understand how to use a jet pack. I'm actually quite happy controlling wind though. I'm not sure I would be better having a power like yours, or like Nahtan." 

Kotetsu thought about it. 

"I'm not sure wind would be any better for me," he admitted, sitting on the floor with his back to the hideous couch. Keith may have stupendous taste when it came to cooking, but a polka dotted couch in a room with plaid rugs? Better to just focus on one of them, and look at something soothing later. "Maybe I would have been better off with Antonio's power." 

"Maybe," allowed Keith. "But I like to think that we were given what we could use the best, and maybe show a deeper part of us.”

"How do you explain Karina then? She's not at all like ice." 

Keith huffed, sounding oddly like John. Kotetsu wondered if the dog had picked it up from the human, or the human had picked it up from the dog. 

"She's very much like ice. Or at least," mused Keith. "She tries to be like ice. Cold. Aloof. Keeping a lot to herself that might be better off shared." 

Kotetsu started to play with the pattern on the carpet. Light blue, lilac, and a silver grey were entwined. Heh. Sky High remade into a rug. An image of a himself standing atop of a downed Keith produced a high-pitched giggle. 

"And Nathan is very flamboyant. The word comes from architecture that had flame-like waves, and the origin has been traced all the way back to flambe." 

"How...?" Kotetsu's mouth was hanging open, and when he noticed he closed it with a snap. 

"How do I know that? I looked it up the first time it was mentioned."

"And it just stayed in your skull like that?" murmured Kotetsu, returning to the pattern. Touching the lilac felt as though something was crawling on his skin, so he quit that and brushed fingertips against the grey. Coolness, and a hint, the merest trace of metal. Sky High's helmet had to feel like that. Right? It was only fair.

"It did. Does. Interesting facts tend to stay a while, and it was very interesting." Keith's voice was low, almost slow. "Hey, have you seen the ceiling?" 

Kotetsu let his head fall back. 

"Your floor is plaid, your couch has dots, and your ceiling..." And that was when the words went away. Vanished.  It was a piece of art. Dark navy swirls kissed absorbent black, and within the embrace were hundred, perhaps thousands of stars. Some of them were halos of light while others were satisfied peeking out from ink. 

"Amazing. And again, amazing."

"I recreated it," said Keith. "This is what I see when I fly. This is how I spend half my life.”

"Gorgeous." Kotetsu felt the word sticking in his throat. 

"I wanted to share it. The peace, quiet. So I painted it.”

"The taste of spicy stars and creamy sky," mused Kotetsu. Was that The Milky Way over there?

"Mmm, yes," agreed Keith. “The stars are my favorite.”

The two of them sat there, watching the ceiling pulse and wriggle, squirm and cuddle. it reached out to them and they accepted it, embracing it back. There was a booming sound, coming from somewhere off to the side. Neither of them went to check it. A yellow blur whined from inside a prison of dots, but after getting only a lick from John, slipped through the plaid bars and left. Eventually, several people walked into the room, chasing the stars back with loud noises and talky-talks.

"Guys, guys," said Kotetsu, his had lolling back to see something pink. And yellow. And brown? Three things then. Ooh, and blue. Four. "Guys... you're scaring the stars." 

"The... stars?" 

"Yep," said Keith, still starting at the ceiling, voice languid. "The stars. They've been talking to us since he had to wait." 

"I’ve been here several times, you’ve never talked about them like that." That voice was stretchy, crackling and twisting and turning. Who did it belong to? Kotetsu thought it was the pink.

"It looks nice, but why are the two of you just sitting here and staring at it?" 

White sparkles, sprinkles of dreams under July skies. 

“Kotetsu, I brought more beer.”

Oooh, that voice was a paradox. Sweet and dry, with a hint of bitter. He liked that one! Even if he couldn't see what color had said it.

“Thanks.” Kotetsu flapped a hand. 

“What’s wrong with them?”

A velvet hand stroked Kotetsu’s cheek.

“Ooooh,” he purred, gathering energy to pounce. “That feeeeeels sooooo goooood.”

“Keith... did you two eat or drink anything?” Whipish pink blew through the air, settling around Sky High’s shoulders. 

“Shhhhh!” Said Keith, putting a finger to his lips. “There are six of you. I can only tell three for health or four for wealth.”

The blue blur snorted. 

“Now now, we’re the guests," chided the pink. Kotetsu tried to focus on them, and for a second, he thought he could see a face, but then it went back to being a blur. "Karina, Pao-Lin, would you go into the kitchen?" 

"I'll head over there too," volunteered a deep, ocean voice. The brown, it had to be the brown. Kotetsu felt a little cheated though, as if he had expected something different. Countryside cattle maybe? Mooing? "Heh, this looks familiar." 

"Oooh? I want to hear that story later. Kotetsu, dear, focus on me. Let me see those honey-dipped eyes of yours. Ivan, could you check on Keith? Tell me how his eyes look." 

The velvet hand was back and Kotetsu almost purred. 

"Nathan, his pupils are huge." 

"Oh... I guess I can tell the secret now. We had some risotto," Keith 'whispered' to Ivan.

"Rice?" Hmm... water? Pure water? There was almost nothing to that voice, as if it could be a part of anything. Kotetsu grinned, tilting his head to the left as someone sat next to him. Cuddles were a good idea, so he wrapped himself around the person, laughing as they squeaked. 

"Kotetsu! What are, what are you doing?!" 

"Antonio, be a dear and check the risotto, would you? He's hugging you Barnaby, that's what he's doing. You should hug him back." 

Kotetsu purred, stroking his head against a red leather jacket until a hand came up to give him pettings. 

"There's mushrooms in the risotto," the ocean voice called out. "And a bag on the counter that says McKenna, haha! Oh, this is great, I've gotta take video!" 

"What does McKenna mean?" demanded the dry, sweet, bitter voice. Kotetsu didn't mind it talking since his ear was pressed against a warm chest, tapping out a heart-felt rhythm. 

"It means Sky High apparently went sky high," mused the pink voice. "And took a Wild Tiger for an unexpected ride." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Letter from the Soup - M for Magic & Mushrooms
> 
> Feel free to send a Wild Roar by leaving a kudos or a comment!


	9. Amigo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: Kotetsu and Antonio have a alcohol-friendly chat about Keith's damn mushrooms. [Future Fic set after Chapter: Magic]
> 
> May your winter holiday be filled with bright lights, chicken, and cake (how we celebrate Christmas in Japan!) ;)

"I was thinking Kotestu," said Antonio, a broad grin on his face and a beer in his hand, "that Kaede-chan needs to see more of her father." 

His best friend was beside him, raising a glass of  _ shochu _ to his lips and giving a strange look. 

"Normally that's what I say," Kotetsu said after draining half the glass. Ugh. Paint thinner. Had been since they stole some from the liquor store. Antonio knew better than to say that aloud though. The two of them had had enough knock-down drag-out fights over their drinks of choice... and would continue when drunk enough, of course. 

"What are you planning?" Kotetsu peered at him. "You've got that... air about you, that look." 

"Planning?" He spread his arms wide. "Me? And what look?"

"Yes, you." The Japanese man snorted. "You can pretend you're as thick as your skin, but I know you. We grew up together, and you've been behind some pretty sneaky things. It's also easy to tell when you're thinking, little bits of steam rise from your overcooked brain." 

"Sure, that's why I got better grades than you." 

"Setting the bar pretty low there," Kotetsu shot back. "If you'd gotten better grades than Tomoe, then that'd be something to brag about." He ran a hand through his hair, tugging at a couple of short strands. "Thankfully Kaede seems to be taking after her mother that way." 

"She just gets her stubbornness from you," teased Antonio, chuckling as Kotetsu rolled his eyes but didn't suggest otherwise. Couldn't really. The whole family was stubborn, from the woman who'd tanned both of their hides as kids to a certain little girl who never missed a chance to prove her point. Antonio grinned. Kotetsu and Kaede need someone for a little balance. A third wheel for steadiness. 

"So what are you trying to pin on me this time?" he continued. "Tomoe wasn't my fault, I had no idea she's been trapped in that building." 

"Truuuue...." hummed Kotatsu, leaning back in the chair until his neck cracked. "But... Kaede's 5th birthday, when she got that yellow bike. That was you, wasn't it."

Antonio waved a hand, dismissing the fact as irrelevant. 

"I guess it's been long enough that I can admit to that one. You were still paying off that huge fine for the courthouse, remember? After destroying the support bridge for the cable cars and the pier? And Masa-baka didn't have the greatest year for sales. Kaede didn't need a crap year because the rest of us were having one. Kids should have bikes, it's better that they get out, fall down, and all that. 

"Some of us don't have your power. What about those  _ mikan  _ trees that magically found their way into my mom's backyard?" 

"Musta been fairies." He lept his face deadpan as Kotetsu peered at him, a little wobbly on his chair. Old man was drinking up a storm tonight, and he had a suspicion as to why. Sneaking a hand into his pocket, he touched his phone, a plan coming together in his mind.  

"And who keeps my family," continued Kotetsu, "from knowing all of the times that I've been put into the hospital?" 

"Your guardian angel, who's really thirsty and needs another beer. Or three." Antonio got up. "Get me one of those craft beer taster sets, the autumn one. I'm heading for the toilet." 

He slapped his friend on the back as he walked past, the slightly older Japanese man laughing.

"You're the bestest Antonio. Through all the years, thick an'  thin, you've been a good friend, a real amigo." He sighed. "I've needed one, thanks." 

"Meh, you've been there for me. Helped me get out of my slump at work, not to mention saving my life several times. I owe you."  

He gave one last pat, then ducked around the corner. 

"And I think I know how to pay the piper," he muttered, scrolling through his contacts list to press a button. He almost had to pin the phone to his ear to hear over the voices, music, and general bar noises.  ****

**_Rinnggg...rinngg..._ ** the person picked up on the third one.

"Antonio?" Barnaby's voice sounded suspicious. "What's wrong?" 

"Does something have to be wrong?" He countered, looking at the advertisements plastered against the wall. Oooh, a sweet potato beer. That might taste good... or not.

"When it's you calling me, yes." There was a pause "Is Kotetsu okay?" 

"Mmmm..." Antonio drew it out. "He will be, I'm sure." 

He laughed at the loud sigh. 

"Fine, fine. I'm getting my keys." There were sounds in the background, rustles that suggested Barnaby had been undressed, or at least in something that wasn't outdoor friendly. "Where are you guys this time?" 

"Bar-Bar-Dos, silver stage. Across from that ice skating shop Kaede goes to sometimes." 

A grunt. 

"I know it. Be there in about ten minutes." 

"Thanks." 

"He's lucky to have you as a friend Antonio," said Barnaby. "You're a good man. Sometimes I think I'd leave him there to sleep it off."  

"Nah, you're nicer than you give yourself credit for. And I think you're better for him than me," Antonio chuckled, hanging up before he was asked what that was supposed to mean. 

He went to the toilet, found another craft beer he wanted to try, a sour cherry one, and then returned to his bar stool just in time to see a craft beer tasting sampler set in front of him, with another glass of  _ shochu  _ placed in front of Kotetsu.

"Hey, I found a funny video," he said, sliding his phone to them middle of the counter. "You should watch it." 

"Not again-"

"But you were perfect!" crowed Antonio, taking one of the drinks and downing it. 

_ Kotetsu was hugging Barnaby octopus style, whispering in his ear as hands wandered everywhere, soaking in the touches; Barnaby was half-struggling to get free and half-melting at the caresses. In the background Ivan stared at a bowl of mushroom risotto that Keith had scooped up and given to him, Karina ordering him not to eat it at the same time Pao-Lin saying that a small spoonful would be fine, and that she wanted to know how it tasted. _

_ "Handsome, it's more enjoyable if you don't try to escape." There was snort of laughter. "Or maybe," continued Nathan, ignoring Antonio, "that's your thing."  _

_ "He has no idea what he's doing!" seethed Barnaby, directing his glare off camera. "Of course I'm going to escape!" _

_ "Mushrooms don't do that," chided Antonio, walking into view and petting Kotetsu on the head. "They let you make connections you might not otherwise see, but there's nothing magically created from nothing.” _

_ “Bun-hun!” Kotetsu renewed his attack, surprising the man with a deep kiss. There was a choked sound- _

“Quit playing that!” Snapped Kotetsu, shoving the phone back towards Antonio. It stopped as it cracked into a glass. 

“Hey! Careful with my phone!”

“I'm going to delete that damned video-“

Antonio took the abused gadget and tucked it securely into his jacket pocket, tapping it. 

“Try, and I’ll mail it to Kaede-chan.”

That threat was enough for Kotetsu's pickled brain to change gears.

“Hugging and kissing her favorite Hero-she’ll skin me alive.” Kotetsu groaned, hitting his head on the bar counter. "I think she got her tongue-flaying skills from Tomoe too." 

“Then you’d better think of a different threat,” Antonio suggested, selecting a second beer sampler. Pear pressed. “Didn’t think Barnaby was your type.”

“Like I said earlier, stop acting stupid.” A gulp, and the snatched up  _ shochu _ was a third gone. "Two words: high school. Two more words: you suck at kissing." 

"That's four." 

Kotetsu ignored him. 

"As for Barnaby...." he sighed. "He keeps me... I don’t know, grounded?”

“He keeps you at the top of your game,” corrected Antonio. The pear was a little too sweet, too heady even. He'd not get that one again by choice.

“Bunny worries when I get hurt, takes care of me when I get sick, and even helps Kaede with her statistics homework. He's the perfect guy.”

“So make a move. Say something. Do something. Stop moping around like a teenager in denial.”

Kotetsu snorted. 

“Isn’t that the problem? I did do something, and he... he didn't like it.”

“Do something when you’re not sky high," corrected Antonio, shaking his head, "and he won’t be able to blame it on Keith’s mushrooms. Hell, does he even know you like guys?”

“You and Nathan are the only ones who know I’m bi. Not even Kaede knows.”

“So your tastes have changed then.” Antonio laughed, grabbing another beer after studying what was left. “Away from this handsome visage.”

“Hey, both Tomoe and I thought you were handsome in high school. It's been what? Almost twenty years? Tastes change.”

“To curly-haired blonds with glasses.”

Kotetsu shrugged.

“What can I say? It’s everything about him. He’s got a brain, and he uses it. He’s strong, and since Maverick’s been gone, he’s been able to finally break free and enjoy himself. Just... what if he doesn't like me like that? Dammit, I don't even know if he likes women or men. Or both.”

"Sounds like a good question to ask him." 

Kotetsu squirmed on his seat. 

"Maybe. Maybe I'll go up to him and just ask, 'Bunny, could you love a guy like me?' It can't be that hard, can it?" 

Antonio lifted his glass in a cheer. 

“Interesting," remarked a voice.

Kotetsu started coughing, slamming his gass down on the bar top. A hand belonging to the voice clapped him on the back. 

“You okay old man?”

“Bun-Bunny!” Kotetsu coughed a bit more, waving off any help from Antonio. “What are you doing here?!”

Barnaby adjusted his glasses, green eyes focused on his partner. Kotetsu wilted.

“I think we need to talk.” 

“...what did you hear?” Kotetsu asked, his body and his voice sinking fast.

“Enough. Let’s talk.”

Kotetsu’s mouth opened, but Barnaby shook his head. 

“Not here. My place.”

"Um... I'm still drinking-"

Bunny grabbed Kotetsu’s glass and drank the little that remained, making a face as the taste. 

"Paint thinner," agreed Antonio. "Fight nice tonight guys, see you tomorrow." 

"Thanks Antonio," said Barnaby, his eyes never leaving Kotetsu's. The two of them left, one propping up the other as they walked to the front door. 

"I've gotta tell Nathan," chuckled Antonio, pulling out his phone again. "This might put a little crimp in their plans. But first... I think Kaede needs to see a video." 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Letter from the Soup - A for Amigo (Because Antonio needs more love!)
> 
> Feel free to send a Wild Roar by leaving a kudos or a comment!


	10. Weakness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nathan's stuck between Kotetsu and Barnaby... but not in the fun way. [Future Fic]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone for being so patient over the holidays, (I think) I've got a leg up on the submissions I want to send out. Cheers!

"I'm here to collect him." 

Nathan hummed thoughtfully, eyeing the soaked, shivering, red-eyed blonde on the darkening doorstop. Thunderstorms had been forecast for the remainder of the month, and with the small rivers and brooks running off of, ahem, Brooks Jr., it was almost as if the skies had held their peace until now. 

"Why do you think he's here?" 

There was no question of whom the 'he' and 'him' referred to.  They both had played this game before.

"Where else would he be?" snapped Barnaby, standing on tiptoes to see over and into the hallway. There. A pair of familiar looking saddle shoes had been shucked into the entryway, Not pink, not glittery, and not high-heeled. Definitely not Nathan's. 

"What exactly is happening with the two of you?" Nathan heard the edge to his voice, and judging by how Barnaby dropped back to the flats of his feet, the other Hero had too.

"Nothing." 

"Interesting." Nathan let the word linger in the air. "For being nothing, its driven Kotetsu into my arms three times this month." Pink eyes narrowed. "Not that I don't mind having a snuggle-buddy for these cold winter nights, but listening to him cry is not my idea of a seductive time." 

Barnaby sighed, shoulders slumping as he studied the puddles on the ground. Nathan almost didn't hear the words murmured, thanks to the wind that chose the most inopportune moment to whip up. 

"I made him cry." 

Nathan sighed. On one hand they had Barnaby, with no practical experience dating, seducing, or even being seduced. Which is where Kotetsu came in. Or didn't, as the problem currently was.  Too old, too alcoholic, too fatherly, too weak, too clumsy, too poor, too everything was what the older Hero thought. So Barnaby kept scolding and Kotetsu kept taking it personally, and it all lead to Nathan's club time being cut down drastically.

Which they gave up as friends needed, but a girl had to have some me time.

"I feel like an ass." 

"And what was this fight about?" Nathan studied their nails, leaning in the doorway to block it. It didn't really matter; Kotetsu would have been the one pawing for a way to get past, to race into the living room and pepper Barnaby with kisses, hugs, and whispered apologies. If he had been the one in the doorway. Barnaby heard, saw, and felt the 'no,' leaving him on the doorstep until either Kotetsu got up to see who was at the door, or until Nathan let him in.  

Considering the 'Wild Tiger' was currently the 'Snoring Tiger,' Barnaby was going to have to sweet talk his way in this time.

"I wanted him to stop drinking so much." 

Ah... that would explain the 'I'm too much of an alcoholic' talk Tiger had sobbed out, drinking  _shouchu_  as fast as Nathan could pour it. Which hadn't really worked in Kotetsu's favor, but c'est la vie. 

"And the fight before that?"

Barnaby looked away. 

"I lectured him about being careful. I didn't know that Kaede, his mother, and his brother had done the same; that wasn't my fault." 

"He felt as if he was being attacked." 

Barnanby's head shot up. 

"And he had actually been attacked earlier! Attacked and was trying to walk on a broken leg,to  fight with a broken arm."

Nathan didn't bat an eye. They'd seen Wild Tiger with third degree burns all over their body, during a particularly bad block fire. Another time the man had been holding his fingers to his hand so that they didn't detach completely. Both were years before though. And that didn't count Tiger's earlier robotic self-sacrifice. 

Barnaby shook his head, pushing we hair out of his scowling face.

"He needs to be more careful." 

"You need to be more careful." Nathan mimicked the tone, posture, and even the head tilt. "I might agree that he needs to be more careful physically, but you need to be more careful emotionally. Take it from me, the emotional ones hurt a lot more, and fester a lot longer." 

They both stood there, eyeing each other. 

"Are you going to let me in?" Barnaby asked, wiping water away from his face. 

"What are you going to do to change?" Nathan asked, deflecting the question with a question. "This can't continue." 

"I know I keep screwing up-"

"It's not that you're screwing up!" snapped Nathan. "It's that you're  **not**   **learning**! Look at me, look at Kotetsu. Do you honestly think that we haven't fucked things up? Made situations worse, said the wrong thing, focused when we should have let go, let go when we should have focused?" 

Barnaby's mouth was hanging open. 

"You're so young Handsome," sighed Nathan, tapping a fingernail against their cheek. "... it's decided." 

He blinked. 

"What's decided?" 

"You can come in." Nathan leaned forward, grinning. "That's what you wanted, right?" 

A pause. 

"Yes." 

Nathan turned around, their grin becoming wider as the squishy sounds behind them proved that Barnaby was taking off his shoes. 

"You can stay here until the sun comes back. Then, with or without Kotetsu, I'm kicking you back out again." 

"Thank you for your kindness," Barnaby said. Nathan chose to ignore the tone, instead bringing the young man into an extremely hot pink living room, where Kotetsu was snoring on the couch.

"You gave him even more alcohol?" The tirade was stopped with an arched eyebrow. 

"What do you prefer? Beer? Wine? Something stronger?" 

"This is not a time to be drinking." 

"Au contraire, this is precisely the time to be drinking." Nathan turned around, holding a vibrant martini in one hand and a sweet ice wine in the other. "We're gong to play a game." 

"Great." 

"Wake up the sleeping Tiger, would you? I need to go get some equipment." 

Nathan didn't wait, striding past Barnaby while taking a sip of their drink. 

"Mmmm, that new shaker is working quite well." By passing the bedroom, where other types of equipment lay scattered about, Nathan found himself in the rarely used office / storage / guest bedroom. 

"I think I remember putting it in here." The drink was carefully set on the couch's side table, and the closet was opened to reveal a collection of intriguing outfits.  "I need this..." With a slight chiming sound, Nathan pulled a gold sash out of its belt loops, then bent down to pick up a rectangular shaped box. "And this. Perfect."

Two minutes later they were setting up the game on the table, listening to Barnaby whispering apologies and Kotetsu muttering about needing another drink to drown out the hangover.

"We're all going to be needing something to drink boys, so gulp it down. I'll continue in my role as your beautiful, wise mixer and server." 

"When has drinking led to anything good?" asked Barnaby, picking up his wine and taking a sip. Kotetsu held out his glass for more  _shochu,_ and Nathan took it. "This is... this is ice wine."

"From the northern part of Riious Sitiy." 

"I'm not gulping this down as if it was a two-for-one bottle at the local supermarket." Barnaby had a scandalous look on his face at the very thought. 

"Kind of you. I'll bring you a gulping wine then." 

After grabbing more drinks and everything they needed to keep pouring, Nathan settled back down on the couch with their friends. 

"Right, here's what we're playing tonight. Nathan's Jenga." 

Kotetsu groaned as Barnaby laughed.

"The rules are simple. Pull out the block, find the number written on the end, and awser the corresponding question on this sheet." Nathan waved the sheet in question, then put it back in their lap. 

"Why not just write the question on the block?" 

"Because we used to skip the ones we didn't want to answer," moaned Kotetsu. "I'm too drunk for this." 

"You're just drunk enough," countered Nathan, leaning forward and expertly tapping out a block. "Three." They cleared their throat. "Who in the room, excluding yourself, had the most beautiful spirit." 

"...what kind of question was that?" 

"Kotetsu," Nathan said without hesitation. "His ability to connect with everybody, and to help no matter the situation, is truly a beautiful thing." 

"Nathan... I'm really not drunk enough for this." 

"Funny." Pink eyes alighted on the shoulder-slumping Tiger. "Just earlier you said that you were too drunk for this." 

"I changed my mind," said Kotetsu sullenly. 

"Your turn~!" Nathan sang out, taking a sip. Kotetsu moaned again, but, with eyes narrowed in concentration, manage to poke a block out. "What's the number, I'll read it for you." 

"Eleven." 

"What do you want to say to the person you love most in the room?" 

Kotetsu opened his mouth, but Nathan jumped up. 

"I almost forgot," they said, holding out the golden sash. "The Sash of Truth." 

Barnaby bust out laughing again. 

"You're joking." He looked at their deadpan faces. "Come on, there's no such thing as the Sash of Truth, you've got to be making it up." 

"Nathan used to know a guy," Kotetsu said slowly. "Guy's power was that he could connect items and traits." 

"I've got the Boots of Ass-kicking upstairs, if you'd like to see them." 

"I think Antonio got the Plate of Loneliness." He turned to Nathan. "What happened to that?"

"Antonio broke it one night when I was over," Nathan said. "Go on. Hold the Sash." 

A trembling hand reached out and grabbed it. 

"I want to tell Na-na-nathan-"

"No you don't," said Nathan gently, looking over to Kotetsu's left. "Try saying Barnaby's name." 

"I want to tell Barnaby," mumbled Kotetsu, looking everywhere except at his partner. "I want to tell him that it hurts when he yells at me." 

There was silence. 

"Why?" prompted Nathan, drinking. 

"...because I want him to love me no matter what," finished Kotetsu, his face darkening. He grabbed his glass of  _shochu_  and downed it in one glup, handing it over to Nathan. Barnaby's mouth was hanging open. 

"I do love you," he said, taking his glasses off and pinching the bridge of his nose."What makes you think I don't?" 

"... you yell... at everything I do." 

Barnaby went to respond to that but Nathan cleared their throat 

"It's not your turn to speak," they said. "Just when you're answering your question." 

"You spoke," muttered Barnaby, glaring. He gulped down some of the adequete wine, then flicked an outside block. "And what happens when the tower falls?" 

"The person who makes it fall has to do a request of the other two. There is no one winner in this game, only one loser." Nathan gave a gentle smile. "Well, depending on what the Sash of Truth unearths, it is possible to have more than one. What's your number?"

"Sixteen." 

"What was on your mind the last time you spoke with your partner?" 

Barnaby huffed. 

"I don't need a sash for that. I was worried sick that he was drinking too much. I want him to stay around for a while, not die of cirrhosis." 

Kotetsu's bent form hunched even more. 

"Mine turn I believe." Nathan leaned forward and plucked a block. "Number 1. Oooh, this is a group question. What is your favorite thing to do on a romantic night?" They ran their hands over their upper body. "I love to have strong, muscular hands teasing me, running up and down until I can't take it anymore, and then I pounce on them!"

Nathan let out a happy sigh. 

"And so much more of course, but I won't sully your delicate ears by revealing too much. Kotetsu?" 

"I, um... I..." He looked down at the golden sash in his hands, then gripped it tighter. "I would want a night curled up in front of a fire place, and we can just look each other in the eyes and kiss and touch and, well..." Kotestu stumbled to stop. "Anyhow. Yeah." 

Barnaby looked at the two of them. Nathan nodded at Kotetsu, and the man gave it to his partner without looking The blond held it in his hands, staring at it. 

"I want a night where I can talk with my partner, and we can think about our future together... if we have one." 

There was a hurt-sounding noise, but Nathan wasn't sure if it had come from him or Kotetsu. Barnaby raised his hand, letting the sash trail off and fall to his side. He spread his fingers out, reaching for the towering stack of blocks. Touching them. And shoving hard. Kotetsu pulled his legs onto the couch to avoid the fall, and Nathan snickered, sure that their laugh wouldn't be noticed in the crash. 

"You lose," they said, keeping a straight face. "Kotetsu, do you know what you want to ask him for?" 

"Um... not really." 

"Okay then, here's my request." Nathan cleared their throat. "I request that you and Kotetsu have that night together, no drinking, so that you can talk about what you want to have together. Oh, and this needs to take place within the next seven days." 

Kotetsu coughed while Barnaby smiled. 

"I guess... I guess I want that fireplace night," he finally said, still not looking at his partner. "And I want it so that you don't yell at me for anything  I've done for the day or for the rest of that night." 

"Done," said Barnaby, standing up. "Nathan, it's sunny outside." 

"So it is." They took a swallow from their glass. "You're out then Barnaby. Kotetsu, did you wish to remain here or leave with him." 

"... I want to go talk with Bunny," Kotetsu said, giving his partner a glance. "Maybe I do... maybe I do drink too much. It was an easy habit to get into with Kaede at home and Tomoe gone. Something for me and Antonio to do together."

"And that's fine," said Barnaby, rubbing Kotetsu's arm. "Have drinks with your friends, that's okay. What's not ok-what I worry about," he corrected, looking over at Nathan, "is that you drink too much at home. How many beer bottles did I need to clean off of the couch and out of the living room? It was about fifty.  Over a time period of less than a week." 

Nathan raised an eyebrow, but didn't comment. A surprising tidbit of information, but it was also true that he'd only gone over to Kotetsu's before to drink, so he hadn't thought about it. 

"Alright you two," they said, standing up. "Time to leave. You can talk about your thoughts and feelings over at your place." Nathan looked at their clock. "I want to get ready to party." 

"Nathan, it's early in the morning. On a weekday." 

"And you think Stern Bild doesn't have places to be?" They let out a rich laugh. "When you've done both of those requests Barnaby, I'll let you in the hidden secrets this city has to offer."

"If they're pink, you can keep them," Barnaby said, helping Kotetsu to his feet. "How bad's the hangover?" 

"Pretty bad," he groaned.

"Can you keep it together enough to get back home? My car's out front." 

"Your place or mine?" 

Barnaby stopped, thinking about it. 

"Let's got back to my place." 

Nathan watched the two of them go out into the hallway, slipping on their shoes. 

"Wasn't that a fun game to play?" 

"I hate it every time you drag it out," complained Kotetsu. "And that stupid sash." 

Barnaby opened his mouth, then shut it. 

"Maybe... it's not such a bad thing." He grinned as Kotetsu gaped at him. "Look, it got you talking to me, right? And it got me listening to you, so... maybe the others should play it sometime. Like Karina." 

Nathan, who had been drinking the last of their cocktail, almost spat it out. 

"One at a time there," they said, shaking their head at Barnaby's nerve. The guy was having enough trouble handling Kotetsu and he wanted to throw Karina into the mix? "Bold," they murmured to themselves while waving their friends off. "Certainly bold." 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Letter from the Soup - W for Weakness
> 
> Feel free to send a Wild Roar by leaving a kudos or a comment!


	11. Zoopery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: Wild Tiger and Dragon Kid are looked at from a new, unflattering angle. [Future Fic]

Tiger woke up with a groan. Head pounding, eyes burning, and dry feeling in his mouth not combining for a good start. 

_ How much did I drink this time? _

"Tiger? Are you awake?" 

_ Dragon Kid? She doesn't drink with us... _

It took a Herculean effort, but Kotetsu pried open an eyelid, squinting as if that would give him protection against the harsh light they were in. It didn't. He was in a metal chair with coldness wrapped all around his body.

"What happened?" He couldn't see her, but the only warmth he could feel against his back, just the right size for a still growing Hero... that was probably her. 

"There was a hissing noise in the tunnel-"

"I see my little experiments are waking up!" trilled a high, sharp voice, interrupting the younger Hero. 

_ Ugh.  _ Kotestu winced.  _ I think that tone is harsher than the lights.  _

Waltzing into Tiger's somewhat blurry vision came a tall woman. Her lab coat was covered in a multitude of stains, and her pigtails looked as if she had stuck a fork into an outlet only moments before. Around her shoulders there were some rips in the fabric, and another spot her her hip as well; he could see blue underneath. "Wonderful. Absolutely wonderful. Now, to ready the equipment!" As quick as she had come in, she darted back out, the two Heroes alone in a room that smelled musky, and cloying.

_ Were those brown smears blood on her coat? Wait, experiments?! _

He could feel his mind scrambling to figure out what happened, and with that his body began pulling against whatever was binding it.

"Ow!" 

Tiger paused. 

"You okay?" 

"My chains tightened," Dragon Kid explained. "When you were struggling." 

_ Great. My hands are literally tied.  _

Tiger snorted in amusement. 

"What?" 

"I was just thinking that my hands are tied." 

There was a pause, and then the younger Hero groaned; he could feel her head thunk against his shoulder. 

"Really? We've been captured, and all you can do is make a dad joke?"

"I thought it was funny," Kotetsu defended himself. 

"How are we getting out of here? She creeps me out." Despite the steadiness of her voice, Tiger could feel a slight shaking.

_ Yeah, I don't like it either. _

"...just our luck, huh?" He let his voice smile, and rolled his eyes, even if she couldn't see them. "For what it's worth, I was enjoying our day out." 

"I just thought that you'd like to see the new tiger exhibit," said Dragon Kid,. She sounded miserable, words clipped and stilted. "And when I won the tickets, I was so excited, I wasn't... I didn't..."

"It's fine. None of this was your fault" Tiger said, keeping his voice smooth and mellow. "And if it was, then I'd be to blame too, since I've been Heroing longer than you have." 

_ The day  _ **_had_ ** _ been pretty fun actually, the two of them using their exclusive passes to explore the redeveloped tiger enclosure. Their downfall had been when they entered the tunnel area that allowed them to poke protected heads up into the enclosure. Neither of them had noticed the gas util it had been too late.   _

There was rattling sound, accompanied by a rhythmic squeak, and then a fully equipped surgical tray appeared in the doorway, in Tiger's side view.

_ Shit. This doesn't look good.  _

"I thought it was just going to be a normal day, thinking that the two of you were just human. But, testing your blood and finding out that you were NEXT?" the woman laughed. "It was fate! And then your bracelets went off, showing me that you were Heros! 

_ Crap, we didn't answer a call? I hope everyone else was able to handle it.  _

"After that, it was only a matter of matching up silhouettes, but still, what wonderful luck" She grinned at them. "I got the two animals of the Stern Heroes, right off the bat!" 

_ You forgot Bunny  _ was Tiger's semi-amused thought.  _ And Bison. Or does the old cow not count? _

"Let us go," he ordered, staring at the woman. There was something... off about her, either the way that she stood, or how her face looked when she was speaking. Then she picked up a surgical knife from the tray and kissed it before setting it down and looking for something else. 

_ Or that. Yeah, let's file that in the creepy category.  _

"Why did you capture us?" asked Dragon Kid. 

"Because I could use you. You both fall under my power."

"What is your power?" asked Tiger, fists balled up at his sides. 

_ What was it with crazy NEXT? First Lunatic, then Maverick, and now this woman.  _

"Zoopery." 

_ What? _

She laughed, bringing the wheeled tray closer to a bed set up and clicking the locks on the wheels. 

"I was ten when I discovered I was a NEXT. Back when we were all seen as animals, and not wanted. But in all those years since, I've come to embrace it, to love it." She hugged herself and sighed. "To learn and grow from it!"

"What the hell's 'zoopery'?" asked Tiger, reluctance and wariness in his voice. 

_ Thought I honestly don't think I want to know.  _

"Experimentation on animals." She finally looked him in the eyes, her own blue ones dancing. "Hello,  _ Tiger. Dragon _ ." 

There was a faint gasp from the other side of him as Dragon Kid understood what was going to happen. They were going to be taken apart by this lunatic. 

_ Lunatic himself would be a better deal _ a small part of Tiger's brain whispered.  _ Come on! Think think think! How can you get out of this? _

"So, do I have a volunteer to go first? Oh, my name's Trixie by the way."

Neither of the Heroes said anything, though Tiger thought he could hear a slight sniffle from behind him. 

_ Wait a second... _

"We're not volunteering for your crazy experiment," he said, resting against the heat source along his back. 

"Oh? Shall I flip a coin?" 

_ Please let this work!  _

"You can't," Tiger said. "We're both not animals." 

Trixie froze. 

"What do... what do you mean?" 

Tiger grinned at the crack in her voice.

"Exactly what I said. Sure, I'm an animal. Wild Tiger, here to look at the tiger exhibit-not much of a surprise. But she's," and here he threw his head backwards a little, "is a  _ dragon. _ That's not an animal, that's a myth. They don't exist." 

"Tiger what are you doing!?" hissed Dragon Kid. 

"Huh..." Trixie put the knife down and stared at the two of them. Tiger tried to shrug, but the rattling of the chains stopped him. 

"So you can't ask for a volunteer," he continued, ignoring the continued jabs in his side. 

_ Why aren't you zapping me? That's what you normally do when you're annoyed. _

"Because she doesn't fulfill your requirement," he finished with a flourish. 

_ And get as annoyed as you want, because even if I'm not leaving, I can at least get you out of this. _

"Hmm..." Trixie took a step back, running a small hand along the surgical table under the light. "You make a very good point Tiger. She really isn't an animal, is she?" 

"Nope." 

"I guess I'll have to return you to your human habitat then. Be right back!" 

"What are you doing!?" whispered Dragon Kid as soon as the woman left. "I can't leave you-"

"Yes, you can, and yes, you will," interrupted Wild Tiger, leaning against her. "Listen up. None of the other Heroes know what time we were getting back from the zoo, so they're not going to miss us until it's too late. Get out, gather them, and then come back for me. Can you do that?" 

The sniffles came back, and when she agreed, her voice was at a slightly higher register.

"Good. Don't worry about me, I'll activate my power." 

_ Take down this woman and punch my way out of here.  _

"But Tiger-"

"Found it~!" Trixie was back, holding aloft a small box of medicine. "Okay little Dragon, open wide! Judging from your body weight, three doses should do you, but to counter any NEXT strengths, I'm going to give you a double dose."

"Hey, wait-!" 

Tiger felt Dragon Kid struggling against him, with the chains pulling against his flesh now as she tried to get away from the crazy woman. 

"Hey!" He tried to kick at the woman, but groaned as he leg stopped short, chained to to the chair. "What are you doing?!"

"I can't have her awake when I put her back, now can I?" Trixie stopped for a moment. " It'll cause all sorts of panic, or she might attack me. Open your mouth and swallow this, girl, or my new tiger will start experimenting with how much blood loss he can sustain."

Tiger swallowed, and he heard Dragon Kid do so as well, coughing afterwards.

_ Crap. Doubly not good, I was hoping she'd be able to get the others immediately.  _

"Don't you dare throw it up either," warned Trixie, watching hawkishly. "Good! That'll take effect in about fifteen to twenty minutes, so let's get started!" 

She bent down and untied them, not even twitching when Tiger got to his feet in front of Dragon Kid, shielding her. 

"You can't power up, so don't even try."

_ Huh!? _

"That's what I was trying to tell you earlier," said Dragon Kid. "It's the collar. Maverick used the same when he captured us. They suppress NEXT abilities."

"And I found the blueprints," Trixie said, a smug smile on her face.

Tiger's blood burned when he realized that's what the coldness around his neck was.

_ You can't suppress who I am! _

"Not a problem," he said, cracking his knuckles, and spreading out to the side. "Between us, we know enough martial arts to take you out."

"Which is why," Trixie said, pulling a small gun out of her coat pocket, "I have this."

The two Heroes froze.

"That's playing dirty," Tiger finally said in disgust.

"It's completely fair for me," she retorted. "My power isn't as suited for combat as both of yours are. Now, I've watched enough HERO TV to know your weakness,  _ Tiger. _ "

"Fried rice?" 

Tiger had to grin as Dragon Kid snorted.

"Your heart."

Tiger's grin slid off of his face, and he tried to step back in front of Dragon Kid, but the gun cocked loudly. 

"You don't care about yourself, but you can't stand seeing people, friends or not, get hurt. The ultimate Hero I suppose."

"Don't," Tiger said softly. 

Dragon Kid didn't say anything. She also made sure that she wasn't moving, or drawing any attention to herself. This wasn't her first time staring down a gun, but without her power or her staff, it was a lot more frightening than normal. 

"Obey my instructions and I won't," cautioned Trixie. "Do you accept my deal?" 

Tiger nodded, eyes darting to Dragon Kid.

"You shouldn't have agreed," she said, her voice the barest of whispers, but the woman still overheard. 

"If I pulled the trigger, he doesn't have the speed to throw himself in front of you." Trixie licked her lips. "So he'll do exactly as I say."

"Tell me what you want then," said Tiger, scowling. "Stop dragging it out."

"Very well. Go over to the examination table, and lie down on it."

Tiger walked over, each step echoing in the chamber, looking at it with wary eyes. 

_ This is going from bad to worse, and she's still got the upper hand.. I wonder...  _

When he got to the edge of the bed, he leaned over far more than necessary and swiped at his pocket, trying to grab his cell phone.

_ If I could just get a call out!  _

"What are you doing?" asked Trixie, moving closer to Dragon Kid. "I told you, I'll shoot her."

"I'm not doing anything," he said, smiling and putting his hands up. "I'm just trying to get myself on the table. It's a little high, and I must have injured my knee earlier when you gassed us." 

_ Look harmless, a fuzzy little cub instead of a big old tiger. Get her to lower her guard.  _

Trixie bit her bottom lip, then nodded. 

"Fine. Keep going." 

Wild Tiger climbed up, balancing on his knees and calmly sticking his hands into his pockets. 

"You didn't tell me," he said, playing for time. In his pocket, he'd turned it on, but was stumped about what to do now. 

_ If I call anyone, she's going to hear them. The only way I'll be able to get out a silent message would be if I remember where that messenger app is positioned on my phone.  _

"You're up to something." Trixie frowned, pulling Dragon Kid closer. "Hands where I can see them!"

Immediately he took them out of his pants, complying. 

"See? Nothing."

_ Not planning a damn thing, see? _

Trixie didn't look pleased. 

"Fine. Take off your vest, shirt, and tie. I don't care about your hat, or anything lower."

"Well that's good," grumbled Tiger, loosening his tie. "Because I don't want to show you anything that's lower."

He looked around for a place to put it, but gave up and put it on the table. He then shrugged out of his vest and shirt, putting the two garments on top of the green one, then finishing the top of the stack with the tie. 

"Dragon, take those and put them on the chair." The gun didn't waver, so the young Hero moved closer, reaching out for the clothes.

"Um, thanks," said Tiger, rubbing the back of his head. Dragon Kid just nodded, her wide eyes taking in the marks all over his chest. 

"I didn't realize..." 

"Yeah, my power just heals small ones, so I've kept all of the bigger ones. 

"Enough jawing. On your back Tiger. I need to see you at your normal condition before we start the experiments." 

He complied, wriggling to get comfortable on the table. Trixie walked forward, bending down to shove Tiger's legs into metal holders at the bottom. Quickly, he turned to Dragon Kid, extending his pinky finger and thumb while wiggling his hand near the side of his face. Her eyes lit up, and she folded her hands behind her, searching for her own phone.

_ Okay, one thing taken care of. Now let's see if we can stall her. _

"I get the feeling you've done this before," he drawled, noting how quick Trixie was at tightening the straps. 

"I have. Can't always trust someone else to do what you need, so a person has to learn do it themselves."

"I meant," he grunted as she pulled hard on the straps, "that nobody should be this practiced at tying people up."

"You clearly don't have a vivid night life," she returned, tracing a hand up his rib cage. "My my... I see why she was staring at you. There are many scars, aren't there? And you said these are only the deep ones? You're in rough shape, but I expected that." 

"These are nothing. The deepest scars can be hidden in the mind, or in the heart." He looked at her, trying to hold her eyes. "What scars are you hiding Trixie?"

Tiger felt her hand creep up chest, then stop at his neck, covering where his Adam's apple was. Her other hand brought the gun into play, caressing the side of his cheek with the cool metal. 

"I am ashamed of nothing," she said, words even, measured. "I found that I have the power to cut open any animal, and learn something from them. To absorb an ability of theirs."

"And what have you learned?" asked Tiger, his throat dry. 

"I learned how to survive on my own because of cats. How to be social enough to pass, thanks to dogs. My mind can soar to the greatest heights, and swim down to the deepest depths." 

"...you're insane."

The tense moment between them stretched, and then she turned her back to Tiger, focusing on her other prisoner... who was just putting away her cell phone. 

"NO!" Trixie shrieked. "What did you do?!" 

"Called the other Heroes," Dragon Kid said, her vivid green eyes flickering between the woman standing up and her friend lying down. "They'll be here any time now." 

A scream of pure rage echoed throughout the room, and Tiger saw her spin, finger on the gun. 

_ Dragon Kid’s behind her and to the left, so...now!  _ he reached out, grabbing and not letting go.

"Drop!" he shouted to Dragon Kid, reeling in Trixie by the arm and pulling her close to him.

"Let me go!" 

"No!" Tiger shouted back. "You need to get help, see some-"

The gun went off. Tiger slumped down on the table, feeling tired, weak. Dragon Kid was suddenly in front of him, her eyes tearing up and her mouth moving, even if he couldn't hear her. 

"What... what are you saying?" he muttered, shaking his head and closing his eyes. 

_ Just for a second... too tired to keep them open right now.  _

"Hold on!" yelled Dragon Kid, seeing Trixie stumble away out of the corner of her eyes. But then Tiger coughed, spraying blood across the tiled floor, and she turned away, yanking his shirt away from the chair and tumbling to her knees. 

"-wha?" She looked up and the distance kept moving, eliminating any trace of up or down. "No... no, not now..." Dragon Kid staggered to her feet, then dropped back to her knees. "...ti..ger." 

He didn't notice when she stayed on the ground, all movement stilling. He did notice that it was getting colder. And then finally... he stopped noticing that too. 

* * *

Tiger woke up, groaning as he saw the too-familiar hospital ceiling.

_ Ugh… this is too familiar... _

"...dragon...?"

"I swear you are a trouble magnet," huffed Barnaby, pulling a blanket up to Kotetsu's neck. "She's fine, they're letting her sleep the drugs off naturally. You're the one we were worried about." 

Wild Tiger smiled, then allowed the clouds to pull him back to sleep, Bunny's warm hand resting on his.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If there is enough interest, this can be made into a chaptered fanfiction - just let me know)
> 
> Letter from the Soup - Z for Zoopery
> 
> Feel free to send a Wild Roar by leaving kudos or a review!


	12. Carols

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: Kotetsu loves the winter holidays best, and hearing Blue Rose sing is wonderful. [Future Fic]

It was magical. Enchanting. Charming even.

Kotetsu could almost eat the air there were such delicious smells upon it* cotton candy (at both Karina and Kaede's instance), green tea (Ivan's influence), and ice wine (Bunny's contribution) along with other delights for young and old. Most potent was a heady scent of peppermint threaded with baked sugar, then topped off with a touch of pine, created by the surrounding festival booths selling do-it-yourself candy canes, icicle doughnuts, and snow-powdered cookies. The pine was coming from the ginormous tree Rock Bison and Bunny were currently wrestling with, Sky High giving instructions from his natural, high-in-the-sky view point. 

Music was a part of the magic of course. Being coaxed out with an old piano, Blue Roses's fingers had been running along the scales for about two hours now, leading the gathering carolers into singing bouts of everyone's favorite songs, from Jingle Bells to All I Want for Christmas. Dragon Kid was helping out in that aspect too, her enthusiasm making up for her off-key notes. 

He chuckled. 

Some of the expressions Blue Rose was making behind the piano, when she thought no one was watching of course, showed she didn't quite agree that Dragon Kid's enthusiasm made up for missed high notes. 

Across from the musical stage was the Snow Cafe, made entirely of ice. Fire Emblem was running the drinks bar; shaking, mixing, and generally ladling out the 'alcoholic's delight eggnog' as the Heroes had dubbed the concoction. It had over five different alcohols in it, and getting Sky High up and moving again had been an intensive group effort. Origami Cyclone on the other hand, had taken to it like a fish to water, surprising them all. Speaking of the shy Hero, he was working beside Nathan, passing out hot desserts that could be held in hands, like waffles and crepes, along with hot cocoa for anyone whose taste buds didn't like coffee, or who weren't old enough to enjoy other drinks. 

A hand caught his attention, and with a widening grin Kotetsu waved at his mother and Kaede. They were here as well, wrapping presents to raise money for the orphanage. That was one of the things he liked best about the season. Sure, gifts and presents were fun to give and get, but everyone else being nice, kind, and understanding... that was always better. Best.

Blue Roses's latest song wafted out, ringing clear in the night. 

_ Last Christmas, I gave you my heart _

_ The very next day, you gave it away _

She met his eyes, looking away almost as soon as he saw the bright red on her cheeks. 

"She's gotta be cold up there," he muttered. Not even being able to move around to keep warm... though maybe having control of ice gave her some measure of warmth?  

_ This year, to save me from tears _

_ I'll give it to someone special _

Karina was in university now. Kotetsu smiled. She probably did have someone special, someone that she was keeping an eye on.  Maybe the lucky guy or girl would even get chocolates for Valentine's day*. Last year she had given him chocolates, amazing ones that were fudge-rich in the center. He'd passed them out; she'd made a whole box, and it was just enough for each Hero to take one, even Dragon Kid.

_ Once bitten, and twice shy _

_ I keep my distance but you still catch my eye.  _

Karina looked at him again, and for a moment, no matter how popular the song was with the carolers, he would have sworn that her voice was the strongest, the loudest. The one with the most emotion. He nodded in acknowledgement, and she smiled at him this time. The idol Hero was a great singer.

_ Tell me baby do you recognize me?  _

_ Well it's been a year, it doesn't surprise me _

A year was a long time, and the younger Heroes had changed over the days. Kotetsu let out a bark of laughter. Had to be careful with that word, most of the Heroes were younger than him at this point. Dragon Kid had shot up like a weed during the summer, putting her new height to great use with her staff. Origami was less shy and more confident now, following his weekly chats with Edward. Kid was even coming up with more than a few new ways to get points. Bunny was enjoying the small things in life, taking the time to travel and find what he'd missed for so long. And Keith, ever the young at heart, was even seeing someone, after having met them at dog obedience school. Blue Rose though... out of all of them, she was the one who had shot up the most. She had finally touched a part of her dream, releasing a record written and sung by Karina Lyle. Her fans didn't know, but while Blue Rose topped the charts, Karina Lyle was right at the bottom of the top ten.

_ (Merry Christmas!) I wrapped it and sent it  _

_ With a note saying "I love you," I meant it.  _

She had sent all of them a note, saying that they'd love her music. Kotetsu's note had read a little different from Barnaby's-he'd snuck a little peak. She'd told him that if he listened hard enough, he'd hear music that he had helped create. And he had. One of Karina's songs had been about a normal person wishing to be a Hero, and then finding their courage to stand up for what was right. He'd been crying after that one. 

Tiger smiled as he watched her, glistening on stage like the ice power she wielded. It was a nice idea, her having someone waiting. She was beautiful, strong, and fearsome. A great catch. 

_ Now, I know what a fool I've been  _

_ But if you kissed me now, I know you'd fool me again. _

It began to snow when she sang about kissing, little flakes nestling on people's hats and coats. Some of the children wandering around stuck their tongues out, giggling as their breath melted exactly what they were trying to catch. 

"Tiger! A little help!?" 

He turned to see that the tree was winning against the Heroes and jogged off through the crowd, chuckling under his breath. 

"Come on guys, I've seen you all holding up buildings and you can't manage one little tree?" 

"We didn't want to damage it," explained Barnaby, his voice muffled by branches. 

"Why'd we invite 'Crusher' then?" laughed Rock Bison. 

"Tiger! Thanks, and thanks again, for helping! If you take the south side, then we'll be able to set it in the stand." 

Kotestu nodded, taking position where Sky High had pointed out. The next few minutes were filled with overwhelming pine, a few curses from Antonio, a snap from near Bunny, and finally, the slotting of the tree.

"I broke a branch," complained Barnaby, tugging his face mask up. 

"Look at it this way," said Kotetsu, "at least the sap got onto the armor and not in your hair." 

His partner's green eyes went wide, but then calmed down with a wry grin.

"Too true." 

Antonio emerged from his spot, shaking like a wet dog to rid himself of pine needles. 

"You guys did a great job," said Kotetsu, looking the tree up and down. Later on there was a ticketed decorating event, all proceeds going to charities picked out by each of the Heroes in a combination popularity contest and way to use themselves to help others. "How about you all clean up; Sky High and I will get some drinks." 

"Sorry Tiger," said Sky High. "But I need to do a perimeter check. I'll join you later for drinks though." He took took, saluting before heading towards the entrance. 

"Please get him something non-alcoholic," Bunny's voice murmured in his ear. "We've all still got a lot to do for the festival". 

"Agreed." 

"Ice wine for me though." 

"Gimme some Black Bull Brandy." 

Kotetsu snorted, waving to show that he'd gotten the orders. The crowd seemed denser, thicker, and his stride slowed to a snail's pace right before the stage. 

_ A crowded room, friends with tired eyes _

_ I'm hiding from you, and your soul of ice _

_ My god, I thought you were someone to rely on _

_ Me? I guess I was a shoulder to cry on _

He had to smile at that. If there was anyone with a 'soul of ice,' it wasn't Blue Rose, no matter what handcuffed villains or rebuffed fans said. In fact, Fire Emblem and Blue Rose were almost the opposite in how their powers manifested. Nathan, being older and a bit more burnt, allowed themselves their physical pleasures, but still kept their mask in place emotionally when others were around, enabling a look at situations from an observer's point of view, which in turn let them gather information for an informed attack. Karina on the other hand, still had too much school to allow herself the smaller pleasures that Nathan enjoyed, and so she usually spoke her mind, as if needing to restrain herself forced her fiery spirit to reveal itself in other ways. 

"Maybe I can talk Fire Emblem into teaching Blue Rose strategy?" he thought aloud, ducking and weaving his way to the Snow Cafe.

_ A face on a lover with a fire in his heart _

_ A man under cover but you tore me apart _

_ Now, I've a real love you'll never fool me again _

Kotetsu stopped, turning to clap and yell for Blue Rose's performance. She stood up and bowed, then quickly walked off stage, promising to be back after a quick. break. 

"Hey! Hey, Blue Rose!" he called out after her, ducking and dodging to make it to her side, and right as he reached the edge of the crowd, slipping on a bit of ice. "Ooomph!"

"You okay Tiger?" she asked, bending down to help him up. 

"I swear that ice wasn't there earlier," he muttered glaring at the spot. He turned to smile at her. "I just wanted to say, the song was great-"

"Thanks," she blushed, "That means a lot, coming from you." 

"And I wanted to say I'm glad you found someone!" 

Her face snapped back to his, eyes wide open and brows furrowed. 

"What?" 

Tiger took a step backwards, rubbing his neck.  

"Um... well... you sang it with such emotion... I just figured you'd found someone special at university. Someone else who loves the way you sing." He felt his grin wobble the longer she stared at him. "That's... that's what the song's about, right?" 

Sighing, Blue Rose suddenly seemed to age about ten years. 

"That's... part of it, yes." 

"Oh..." Kotetsu thought about the other part of the song, the longing for someone to take notice. "Then I hope, for Christmas, that the person you were singing about realizes it." 

She started laughing, tears springing to her eyes as she covered her mouth, and Tiger grinned, glad that he was able to make her smile. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Letter from the Soup - C for Carols
> 
> Feel free to send a Wild Roar by leaving a kudos or a comment!


	13. Shield

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: By this point, it's not a surprise when Kotetsu takes a hit for Barnaby. This result however, is one no one was expecting. [Future Fic]

"What the hell is this guy's power!?" Rock Bison yelled out, dodging a bright beam of azure. The Heroes were scattered around a bank on the Gold Stage, some of them checking the prone bodies lying on the ground while others were trying to pin down the short, skinny robber that kept firing at them, switching between a completely normal gun and their NEXT power. 

"No idea, but it looks like he's got a two minute powering-up window," Blue Rose shouted back, crouching near a guard's slack body. The woman had fallen half-in, half-out of the main entrance, leaving both her and the ice wielder open to attack. Blue Rose scanned the area, then let go of an ice gun to grab an arm, tucking them both inside and out of the range of fire.

"Great," groaned Tiger. "He gets two minutes to power up, and that's when I'll be powered down." 

"You want a one shot power?" huffed a voice beside him. "Block the first punch, then need dodge the rest?"

"No, but-"

"Then stop complaining!" snapped Barnaby. He pointed to a shaking section of roof and ran ahead, sliding under and shoring it up as it began to fall; Tiger followed, grabbing the bodies in the way and running them out to waiting ambulances. His partner kept the area from being buried. "Blue Rose, a little help please?"

A steady stream of ice flowed toward him, taking the weight off of Barnaby's shoulders as Tiger came back for another two bodies.

"Good news!" called out Origami Cyclone, checking on an unlucky family. All four of them were down, two well-dressed parents in front of three elementary school children. "Whatever he's doing, it's not fatal!"

"Well now, that is good news," said Fire Emblem, directing their flames to herd the man out into the open. "Hopefully the little cretin can undo it too."

"Fire Emblem!" 

With another bolt of fire, the corner trap became one for the hunter instead of the hunted. The rest of the Heroes could only watch as the arc shot forward, barely missing due to a sharp wind that gusted through the area, pulling the fire wielder just enough from its path. 

"Thanks, Sky High!" Fire Emblem called out, throwing a kiss to the flying man; the wind wizard waved, then stayed overhead, trying to see how he could best fit into the situation. 

"Stop moving around!" yelled the man, stomping his foot. "That wasn't fair!" 

"What's not fair is what you're doing to these poor people!" Tiger yelled in response, returning from getting two more to safety. "Give yourself up!" 

Another arc zapped through the air, a yellow, crackling one that sputtered out harmlessly as it hit a wall behind the mysterious NEXT user. 

"If you think it's so unfair, you stop moving first!" yelled Dragon Kid, letting lose a few more. None of them hit their target, but as they cracked into the wall, dust rose in the air. A wave of crumbling bricks came crashing down, and there was a silence across the street. 

"Did... did I get him?" She took a step closer, her staff at the ready just in case.

"I can't see," reported Sky High, hovering. "Be careful, and again, be careful. He could be anywhere..."

"Thanks for the warning," muttered Barnaby, taking a step forward, tapping the side of his helmet to see how far it could penetrate. "It's too much for my scanners too, I'm getting nothing." 

"Sky, dear, can you blow this dust away? Gently?" 

"To capture this heinous villain? My pleasure, and again, my pleasure."

He began to draw in the winds, and slowly, the cracked street revealed itself. Busted doors leaking broken glass. Bricks with scorched outlines from where they'd been hit. All of the damage appeared, but there was no sign of the man they'd been fighting. 

"Shit." 

"Eloquent as ever Rock Bison," commented Fire Emblem. 

"He couldn't have gone far," said Wild Tiger, looking over the aera. "Pair up, let's see if we can flush him out before his timer resets. Bunny and I will take the bank; there might be more civilians in there." 

Pair by pair they called out their destinations, ending with Sky High latching onto Origami Cyclone for additional aerial support, the shapeshifter turning into a backpack for easy grippage . Tiger watched as they scattered, then stepped into the bank, stonework crunching beneath his feet, and a similar sound proving that Barnaby was right behind him. 

"Do you think he came back in here?" 

"I think that if he'd hoofed it, we would've seen him," said Tiger after imagining different scenarios for a minute. The walls of the bank were a marbled layer of green and ivory, which matched the paler green carpets. The Hero had to smile at his memory of Mr. Legend. "We've got about what, a minute left? He should still be charging." 

"Speed over stealth then," declared Barnaby. He zipped by his partner, stopping at the first doorway on the left. "You take right."

Tiger nodded, checking behind the first door. Chairs, desks, paper everywhere, but no villain. The second door was to a previously locked staff-only section. Inside the room, a half-cut blue goodbye cake sat on the table, with one piece smashed into the carpeting. The third to a wheelchair-accessible bathroom.  Zilch.

"Anything on your end Bunny?" he called out down the hallway. 

"Nothing." The blond sighed, pushing his face plate up to look at Tiger. "Maybe one of the others got lucky?" 

Tiger pushed his up as well, watching his partner. 

"No." He looked around, wishing they had x-ray vision. "No, I know he came in here. I can feel it in my gut." 

"Far be it from me to ignore your instinct," Barnaby smirked. "How about the top floor then, and working our way down from there? And if he runs outside, then one of the others can capture him." 

Tiger agreed, zipping behind his partner up the plush, carpeted stairs. 

"Wait. Did you hear something?" 

Bunny stopped, and they both paused, straining their senses.

"Nothing. What do you hear?" 

"... I thought I heard breathing," said Wild Tiger, climbing another step. "But I can't tell if it's coming from this floor, or the one under us." 

Barnaby bounded up from the landing, hitting the top of the stairs in a wary stance.

"I think I found the source of your breathing."

Tiger came up behind him, making a face as he saw a group of seven people lying in the middle of the floor about twelve meters away, looking just like the customers had downstairs. Limp. Unmoving. Dead. A mixture of men and women, young and old, but all of them wearing stylish suits, with a few hats fallen to the wayside.

"So this is where most of the staff went," said Barnaby. "I was wondering." 

"I'll start ferrying them out, you tell Agnes that we're going to need more ambulances," sighed Tiger, stepping forward to where a young brunette. A beeping startled both of them at the same time a sound came from the stairwell they had just left. Behind them was who they were hunting, black shirt and frayed blue-jean body framed by the doorway. Tiger saw the angle, knew what was going to happen. As if in slow motion, the man's forefinger stuck out and jerked backwards; as dangerous to them as a gun going off. 

"Where's that noise coming from?" Where Barnaby stood meant he couldn't see the danger.

"Bunny!" 

Barnaby was turning when Tiger knocked him over, and following that were blossoms of reds, oranges, and yellows. A boom, then an avalanche of heat. The landing below their feet fell into the darkness, and it was only a lucky catch by Barnaby that prevented the two Heroes from following the crash of debris. 

"Ugh... come on Tiger, you first," said Barnaby, holding onto his partner's surprisingly lax grip. His voice was tense with the strain of keeping the two of them up. "I'm not going to be able to hold on for long." 

There was nothing. No questions asking if he was okay, or if the people they'd found were okay. No moaning about damage fees or sneaky villains. No hands searching for a purchase to climb up with. 

"No..." Barnaby tried to look down to check, but felt a shift in his balance. A second try had his shoulder groaning. He gave up on the action. "Tiger!"

"Yes!" 

Barnaby looked up to see the man cheering, fist pumping the air. "And I thought you two would be the hard ones to get rid of!" 

"What did you do to him!?" demanded Barnaby. Tiger's hand slipped by a millimeter. 

"Wasn't trying to get him, was trying to hit you." The man shrugged, grin wide and brown eyes sparkling. "A kinda two-for-one deal since he would've fallen after the explosion." 

"What. Did. You. Do?" Barnaby's voice was hard, and each word could have cut glass if he'd had that ability. 

"He got hit; not my fault." 

"What  **does** your power do?" 

"I can get rid of souls." 

Barnaby almost lost his grip on Tiger at that revelation, and a cold feeling of panic gripped his stomach. 

"Bring him back!" 

"No can do Hero. I bring him back, and you two capture me. This is my best bet for getting out of Stern Bild, go see the world." 

"By robbing a bank? Destroying countless lives? Why didn't you just get on a bus!?" Barnaby had to bite his tongue from saying more.

"Man you're getting testy. Look, about the whole soul thing. I didn't destroy it or anything. I just got rid of it. Pushed it out of his body if you really want to know." The man sighed, then sat down at the edge of the gaping hole, legs swinging. "With you hanging around though, I've got two choices. I can either leave now and you might be able to chase me. Or I can wait about two more minutes, and push yours out too. Volia, two Heroes who won't bother me, or anyone else, ever again." 

"The others will get you." promised Barnaby, trying to ignore how calmly the man was discussing their lives. Or, technically, deaths. His right hand, the one that was gripping Tiger's arm, began to sweat inside the armor. 

"Not before you run out of power, or mine comes back again. And let's face it, if your partner's life wasn't dangling from your hand, over a fourteen-floor drop, you'd both be on my heels. Oh, and if you're wondering how a single bomb managed to blow through the other floors, there was a series planted to go off when this one did." 

"Fine. Run," barnaby said through gritted teeth. "But fix him before you go. We can't pursue you if we're both out of power." It was almost as if that was the magic phrase; Barnaby felt the exact instant that his power went down. Weariness settled over him, and Kotetsu actually became heavy. 

"He can. I've watched HERO TV enough to know he can keep up with Sky High, thanks to those cords of his." 

"I'll tell him not to," offered Barnaby. There was a snapping sound from where he'd snagged a remaining part of the banister. "Please!" 

"Yeah, I think I've made up my mind. Best of luck Heroes!" the guy said, smiling. He stood back up, walking away. Barnaby felt Tiger's body drop another fraction of an inch. 

"Come back!" Greeting him was the creaking of the wood that held the two Heroes, both in their suits, and one of them dead weight. "Tiger. Dammit it Tiger, wake up! Kotetsu!" The only response was the unconscious Hero's hand slipping from within his grip. "Great... at least we're going to die together. I won't have to explain this to Kaede."  

A faint scream of rage echoed in the stairwell. 

"Yoohoo~!" 

Barnaby wanted to cry in relief at Fire Emblem's voice. He allowed himself a sigh and a grin.

"UP!" he yelled out, trying to keep his grip on Tiger. "Come on old man,just a few more minutes, help's on the way." 

Thankfully, in the position that they were hanging in, he could see the moment that Rock Bison, holding the pissed-off villain of the day by the neck, appeared with Fire Emblem close behind. 

"Hanging around for me Handsome?" trilled the fire user. "I'm flattered." 

"We're slipping," answered Barnaby curtly. "Flirting later, rescue now." 

Rock Bison pushed the guy against the wall. 

"I'd suggest not moving," recommended Fire Emblem, moving to stand next to the man. "Because the second I see your arm start to twitch, I'll release this fire ball." 

They held out a hand, and the flames that appeared were about the height and width of a basketball. 

"Not even thinking of moving, promise," the guy said nervously. 

"What the hell happened here?" grunted Rock Bison, grounding himself with a pillar piece he found nearby. 

"He took the hit," said Barnaby. “Made himself into a shield.”

"Of course he did." There was a sigh. "Hold onto him, I'm going to grab your arm and reel you in like that, okay?" 

Barnaby nodded. True to his word, Bison grabbed hold of his arm and pulled. After a few heart-stopping moments when they were both dangling, dependent only on one man's strength, they were both on the main floor again, Barnaby gasping and Tiger doing nothing. 

He crawled over to his prone partner, concentrating on reassuring himself that there was still a heartbeat, breathing... the important things he hadn't been able to check when he'd been holding them both up. 

"You have one minute to tell us how to fix him," hissed Rock, approaching the terrified man. 

"Oh goddess don't kill me!" 

"I'd suggest you tell us then," encouraged Fire Emblem, the flames in their hand playfully snapping about.

"I don't know, I've never needed to reverse it!" 

Barnaby's heart sank. He looked at Tiger again. 

"Dammit, he's moving!" shouted Rock Bison. Barnaby turned back, too late to do anything. His breath caught. Rock Bison, in his heavy armor, and at his size, wasn't going to be able to dodge this. It was bittersweet to see Fire Emblem jump in front of him just as that hideous blue arc flashed again. 

And then the man's jaw dropped. His eyes bulged. Staggering backwards, he fell like a log.

"You broke my mirror," complained Fire Emblem, looking down into their hands. 

"... what happened?" 

Barnaby turned around at the sound of Kotetsu's voice. 

"Hey, you're back! Where did you go?" 

"I... I think I'm going to head back home." Kotetsu stood up, wobbling. "You guys mind finishing this up by yourselves?" 

Rock Bison and Fire Emblem exchanged a glance. 

"Um... sure... we've got it." Barnaby watched as his partner stumbled off, clutching his heart. "... did Tiger just leave without rescuing people? And what happened " 

"That group over there? No worries, me and Sky High I'll get them down," said Rock Bison. "Fire Emblem can take care of one little unconscious body."

"Which means Handsome, that it's up to you to take care of our Tiger." 

The subtle command took a little while to sink in, but when it did Barnaby was sprinting as fast as he could. He had a partner to check on.

 

* * *

 

おまけ (Bonus) 

"Will you tell me? What was it that spooked you so much earlier today?" 

Kotetsu sighed. 

"I don't know what happened, but I saw Tomoe. When she was younger... not sick."

"Oh." 

He brushed Barnaby's hair out of the man's green eyes. 

"She had a message for me. Told me you were a good catch, and not to let you go." 

* * *

Letter from the Soup - S for Shield 

Feel free to send a Wild Roar by leaving a kudos or a comment!

  
  



	14. Help

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: Kotetsu learns to be careful about wanting someone, anyone to help. [Future Fic]  
> (Thank you for your patience, this one's been a long time coming!)

Sky High became Sky Low in seconds, faltering in the wind before stalling, crashing down to earth. 

_ Now _ a voice in his head whispered. Or was it from his communicator? 

Tiger activated his powers and jumped, catching his friend in midair with a move that looked easy, but packed a powerful punch. The two of them hurtled toward the street, and he maneuvered to take the brunt of what was coming, wrapping around Sky High's already damaged armor. Tiger let out a pained cry as his own armor made a crater of smashed bricks, splintered woods, and sharp slivers of glass; he didn't let go of the body he cradled.

_ Ugh... this is going to hurt for a while... _

"u'kay?" gasped Tiger. He tried deep breathing. Holding onto ragged breaths. Straining to hear an answer. Listening with everything.

_ Please, please tell me I didn't catch a corpse...  _

"sky?"

Tiger's head bowed. He controlled himself. And he listened. 

"fine... and... fine again," came a slight wheeze. A smile.

Tiger breathed, his lungs aching. 

Sky High pressed one hand against his head and left the other wrapped around his waist, blood bubbling up from the wound. 

_ Thank the gods. I thought...  _  Tiger saw the replay in front of his eyes. Sky High, jetting straight up at top speed, "trying" to break out of the blue barrier they were being held in. Truthfully, the plan was that he'd force it to thicken in his area and let the others Heroes break through a weaker section. Then, Tiger and Sky would hit it together and escape. 

The reason they were still trapped was Daniel. One of the villains they'd been chasing this morning. 

He was also the reason Sky High was bleeding in Tiger's arms. Another NEXT, his "bullet hounds" were a mix of homing missiles and hunting instincts wrapped into one. It had followed the wind Hero, bypassing every other exposed body part to hit him square in the back of the head. 

His girlfriend Mandy was the one with the blue shields; these were the last two of a group that had mostly been captured earlier. These were the cornered rats, and they were out for 

The silvery helmet had performed its job though - dents were proof of skull protection, proof that Sky High was still alive, and even though five furrows showed exactly where he'd been hit from that damned bullet hound, none of them were bleeding. The bottom part had been half ripped away though, and the golden fin at the top was long gone. Tiger's armor wasn't much better; an acid-spitting NEXT had been the cause of that.

"they're out... at least..." Sky High's eyes were cloudy as he looked to Wild Tiger.

Truth. And the only good news. 

Origami Cyclone, a concussion bomb taking him out of the battle too early. Dragon Kid, her staff snapped along with her left ankle. Fire Emblem had broken ribs, but they weren't sure how many, or how close they were to piercing lungs. The plan was for Rock Bison and Barnaby to carry the injured out, Blue Rose taking offense. None of them alone would have been able to get through the barrier, and since Tiger's power wasn't as good as Barnaby's at sustained protection, he had stayed behind with the wind ace. It should have been enough.

"You were supposed... to get out too!" Tiger placed Sky High on the ground, then stood protectively in front of him, fists up and ready for a fight. "Damnit!" 

_ I don't know what I'm going to do when my time runs out... and since we've not heard a thing from the others, I'm going to guess this shield also blocks communications.  _

"Got... hit." 

"I noticed," laughed Tiger, dry. It wasn't humorous. In front of him, the two criminals they'd been hunting showed themselves, walking up the scared, iced, and melted road hand in hand.

_ A testament to how badly we were overpowered. _

"Power?"

Almost to the same second, his timer beeped at him.

"Gonna need another hour," Tiger said, his voice even. Pronouncing their death like it didn't matter. 

Sky High went to say something, but coughed. He turned onto his side, blood splattering onto his fist, flecking onto the ground as well. He stayed there, panting, on his hands and knees, lips crimson. Eyes drooping. 

_ How badly is he hurt? _

"Where?" asked Tiger, his eyes narrowing. There were too many injuries to check them all right now.

"Where not?" asked Sky High, lips quirking upwards. "I think... I think my feet are okay." 

_...shit. _

"You can fly though, right?" Tiger didn't wait for the answer. " 

"Why?"  

"Leave." Tiger focused a glare on the two laughing figures. They were taking their time coming up the road, but that was okay. He wasn't in any hurry to engage any more of those bullet hounds,. "I won't be able to hold them." 

“I won’t.”

“Do as I say Keith!” Hissed Tiger, using the man’s real name to show he meant business. 

“Ko... tetsu,” came the response. “I refuse, and refuse... again, to leave you.”

“Better one of us dead than two!”

“Hey, you giving up already? Neat!” There were close. Too close. Daniel opened his palm and let loose a hedgehog.  The creature, faster than it should have been, skittered up to them and exploded into sharp energy bolts with wings. Tiger threw himself in front of Sky High. Each hit felt as if he'd stuck a fork in the wall socket, but he couldn't let Sky High get even more injured.

_ Not if I can still do something about it.  _

He grabbed a nearby piece of concrete and tossed it in his direction. 

“We need," Tiger gasped. "To move. An' hide."

“Where? That barrier...” Sky High grimaced, teeth and lips red.

And that was the problem, wasn’t it? That damned barrier. It had grounded electricity, deprived flames of oxygen, and withstood numerous attacks. Even worse, it was shrinking. 

“We got through once, we can do it again,” said Wild Tiger, his voice grim. 

_ Somehow. _

Neither of them mentioned it had taken all of the Heroes combined efforts, and that the gap had closed up since then.

“Done praying?” It was the woman with the barrier power, his eyes still glowing blue. “I’ve been thinking about how I want to kill you.”

“Why are you doing this?” asked Tiger, making sure that he stayed in front of Sky High.

_ I've got to trust in my friends. They'll find a way, I'm sure of it. I just need to keep us alive until then. _

“Do we need a reason?” She grinned, showing a row of even, white teeth. 

Tiger’s mind thought of another NEXT, one with a neon blue palm for a face, a flame-tipped crossbow, and a white cloak that crumbled to dust when they needed maneuverability. Or an threatening image. Lunatic, the Vigilante Hero. 

_ If even he has a reason... _

“Yes," said Tiger. "Nobody’s evil to be evil. Unless you’re a childish, caricature of a villain.” 

That remark got him a shot stomach, but he still didn't move. Behind him, he could hear Sky High's wracking coughs.

“Fine. Here's a reason. You Heroes suck. You capture guys, and when they get out or when they get free they terrorize people again. My kid brother died because of you!" 

_...shit...  _

"I'm sorry-" Tiger's apology was cut off as Sky High staggered into him. He spun with sudden weight, and the King of Heroes smiled. 

"Ooops. I guess he saw me," chuckled Daniel, his eyes glowing blue.  

Red spots bloomed over Sky High's uniform, and the hands that clutched Tiger's arms grew weaker. They slid down as the Hero fell, his eyes closing. And lay upon the ground.

"No!" Kotetsu shouted. Tears welled in his eyes as he eased his friend's position, choosing not to look at his chest. "He had nothing to do with this!"

"Him or someone else, it doesn't matter. All you Heroes can die," said Daniel, shooting again. Tiger didn't, couldn't dodge. He took the bullets as they came, protecting Keth the same way he'd been protected earlier. 

"This isn't fair," he said between gritted teeth. "You can't... punish others... for the crimes... of some." 

Then, with his vision bleeding black at the edges, it came time for him to fall. His knees cracked hard enough to feel through the fog that had enveloped his brain. 

_ Help... we need help... somebody, anybody... _

"Is  **this** your idea of justice?" boomed a voice in the night. Kotetsu let his head loll, seeing a bright red moon in the corner of his eyes.

_ No... wait, not him. _ Tiger wasn't sure what was going to happen. Either Lunatic was going to murder these two in cold blood, death by fire... or they were going to drag him down to die with Tiger and Sky High. Neither one was a good choice.

"You say that the Heroes were the one to kill your younger brother? Amanda 'Mandy' Groves. It's on the official paperwork that you did it yourself."

_ What? _

Daniel shot a bullet hound at Lunatic, but he took off, jetting around as the missile snarled. Then, Daniel was in front of him. The hound attacked its master, and the man staggered back, not able to absorb the power fully before it hit. 

_ How did he know that would work? I thought a person's power couldn't be used against them? _

"You're lying about the reason you're here. And," Lunatic grinned, his voice echoing through the barrier. "You're a murderer. An unrepentant killer." 

"No," whispered Tiger. He knew what was coming, and even though his arm reached out, there was no way that he would be able to stop it. A green fire appeared on the tip of Lunatic's crossbow. "You can't kill them!"

Lunatic paused, his head turning to look at Tiger.

_ I feel as if he can see me, right through my armor.  _

"I will do exactly what I have to; bring Justice to where it's missing. She's murdered before." 

Tiger's hands scratched at the ground, trying to get up. 

_ No! Not again! _

"Do you admit it?" 

"Admit what?" Mandy laughed. "That my little brother died? It was an accident." 

Tiger heard the twang. Heard the screaming. Heard Daniel's cries of horror. 

_ Damnit! I'm always too late!  _

Lunatic stepped in front of Tiger and said something. 

"...what?" 

"The barrier's down and the way is open." He stopped, tilting to see Tiger better. "It was... intriguing to rescue someone for a change."

He left Tiger on his hands and knees. 

Screaming internally. 

_ I must be stronger, I can't let him kill anyone else! _

"Tiger!" Pink and red appeared in his vision. "Tiger, are you okay?!"

Shards of his soul clawed each other; the smell of burnt flesh was thick in his nose.

"Yes." 

_ No.  _

"Check Sky." 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes:  
> Letter from the Soup - H for Help
> 
> Feel free to send a Wild Roar by leaving a kudos or a comment!


	15. Xiphoid

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: Barnaby starts seeing some impressive vocabulary in the official Apollon Media Hero reports... in the papers written by Kotetsu?! [Future Fic]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note - Enjoy some actual fluff! ;)

Barnaby stood in the doorway, flipping through the papers in his hands and frowning. They were all filled out correctly, and the grammar was passable, but the vocabulary... did  **Kotetsu** really write these reports? 

"You okay Bunny?" His partner in crime smiled at him, brandishing a spoon since he was currently eating a bowl of fried rice at his desk. 

_ Of course he is. Today's Wednesday, so it's Lee's Chinese Rice day.  _

"Oh, did I make a mistake on the reports?" His grin got bigger, enough so that the rice stuck in the corner was obvious. "Sorry! I'll fix it later!"

"Noo..." said Barnaby, flipping through them again and adjusting his glasses. "I just wanted to ask if someone helped you. with these? They're a lot more..." he paused, trying to find the word. "eloquent than usual." 

"I  **am** an adult you know." 

He was on the verge of apologizing when their wrist bands went off ,and the papers were forgotten... for the moment.  

* * *

 

"Look Bunny. All I'm saying is that you complain when I do the reports and you complain when I don't do the reports," grumbled Kotetsu, shrugging out of his suit as they undressed. His locker banged open as he fished around for his spare outfit. "I might as well not do them." 

"That's not what I meant!" protested Barnaby, hands held up in high in surrender. 

_ Please don't make me go back to doing all the damn paperwork myself! _

"I was just trying to figure out where some of this vocabulary came from." The two of them finished changing and walked back into their smaller office. Their heated office thankfully, since Stern Bild was in a bit of a cold snap. Bunny grabbed the reports from where he had tossed them on his desk. "Like this one. 'The park was in a state of aberration.'" 

"The park was in chaos and was the opposite of normal." Tiger poked at his cold lunch and sighed. "Ugggh, I hate reheating my fried rice, I swear it leaches the taste away."

Barnaby's eyes tracked Kotetsu across the room, flickering every so often to the pages held in his hand. 

_ Since when does Tiger know the meaning of "aberration"? And use it? _

Still acting on instincts, he flipped open his cell phone and fired off a message to Kaede, surreptitiously snapping a picture of the word in question. 

Huh - thought it was me

Thought what was you?

Dad growing verbose - I picked up on it last month. Let me know when you find out!

Barnaby glanced at the calendar. 

_ January. But what happened then? And Kaede only said that she picked up on it then, it could have been going on for much longer. _

He stuffed the papers in a briefcase and tried to ignore them, focusing instead on typing up his response to today's earlier incident. It didn't really help. The papers were burning questions in his brain, and he could feel his eyes continually slide to where they were under his desk.

"Hey, Bunny... do you have a crick in your neck? You keep staring off to the side." 

Yeah. It didn't really help.

* * *

 

"Where is he getting these words?!" Barnaby could taste the frustration in his voice after another month of going nowhere in figuring out the mystery. Sneaking back to work had confirmed what Kaede had said; the reports had gotten wordier in January. Nathan had no idea, and Antonio had laughed at him until he'd produced the reports, then had been even more bewildered than him.

_ Such a small thing, but it's driving me nuts! Did I misjudge him so badly?  _

"It's not like I think he's an idiot, " Barnaby justified aloud. "It's just that... this doesn't feel like him at all!" He felt the papers clutched in his hand crumple.

Except it clearly was him.

  * _Laconic._ The woman who saw the robbery was laconic and we were able to quickly pursue. 
  * _Pernicious_. Recommend transferring the NEXT to a hospital due to their pernicious power. 
  * _Truculent_. The perp was being truculent and so Dragon Kid zapped him.
  * _Capitulate._ After engaging in battle, the criminal capitulated, asking for us to let her see her parents one last time before jailing her.



Barnaby let out a huff of frustration, tangling a hand in his curls. 

_ This is getting ridiculous! I have ways of making him talk!  _

Except, if he used those ways, Kotetsu would babble and make cute noises, not serenade him with three-syllable words...

"Bonjour Barnaby!" 

Biting back his first response, the Hero nodded, even though no one could see him. The folder was flicked back onto his desk, and before she said anything, he began striding to where they stored the suits. 

"Tiger's not with me Agnes." 

"I know." There was a pause. "I'm actually calling  **about** your partner. He and Dragon Kid could use a helping hand; you're the nearest one."

Barnaby sped up. 

"Are they okay?" 

_ Who are they up against that they need help? _

"For now."

_ Injuries? Captured? _

"What do I need to know?" 

Agnes let out a big sigh, one that was heard as if she was puffing straight into his ear. He shook his head to clear it.

"They're fine. You being there will get the fight over quickly." 

"Not good enough for ratings?" he joked.

"Those two?" She snorted, and Barnaby paused, raising his eyebrow at the communicator. "Not since the beginning of the year."

_ January again? And since when was Tiger destroying things not good for ratings?  Sure Agnes says she hates it, but I've seen her damage vs. ratings spreadsheet.  _

"Here's the location. Finish it so I can hopefully get something interesting." 

A ping alerted him that the location had been received. 

* * *

 

Barnaby heard them before he saw them, which, considering the fighting was taking place in an empty industrial area, wasn't that surprising. He stood by and scanned the area first though, trying to see where the problems were more likely to come from. Two unconscious bodies were tied together at the front of one of the buildings, and he sent a message to Agnes for a police pick up. 

_ One's fried and one's bruising. Dragon Kid and Tiger were certainly here.   _

"He's holding something weird, like a sword,"  he heard his partner say. There was a slight echo to it, leading Barnaby to peek into the nearest building, making sure to keep his head low.

_ Bingo. _

"How is a sword weird?" asked Dragon Kid. A crackle and flash of light followed her statement. "I mean, I have a staff, and can shoot lightning from my hands. That's weird when you think about it, right?"

He spotted them just as the pillar next to Dragon Kid was sliced in half; she went left, Tiger went right, and Barnaby stopped where he was, movement in the shadows near him catching his eyes. 

_ More than one of them in here...  _ He crept closer to where the shadows were darker, leaving his fellow Heroes with the sword wielder.

"Okay. Fair enough. I say weird not because it's sword-shaped, but because I saw them make it out of a cactus."

"Xiphoid," corrected Dragon Kid. 

_ Xiphoid? _  Barnaby felt his ears perk up at the word even as he focused on a big blonde man holding a rocket launcher.  _ And what do you think's going to happen with that? You're just going to blow all of us up. _

"It's a xiphoid cac-wait, did you say it was made out of a plant? You're botanophobic?" 

"No, but those thorns look like they'd hurt!"  protested Tiger. He grunted a few seconds later.  "Great. I can confirm it's xyresic too."

_ Crap, that's his "I'm hurt but I'm not going to admit it" voice. And xyresic?  _  He snuck up behind Mr. Play-with-Explosives and tapped the man on the shoulder. 

"What th-?" One quick punch and he was out; it wasn't even enough to power up for. 

"Owww..."  

"Right, I'm just going to zap the guy." Dragon Kid put words to action, hitting him with a lightning streak that would have left spots in Barnaby's vision if he wasn't wearing his suit. He almost felt a little sorry for the guy. Almost. "Does the cactus make you xyrohobic?"

"No. I'm not afraid of sharp things."

"It's the fear of dryness or dry places." 

"Not that either," sighed Tiger. "What would be stupendous would be you getting these thorns out of me." 

_ There's my cue., I know I've got more medical experience than Dragon Kid. _

"I can help with that," said Barnaby, strolling out from the shadows. 

"Bunny?" Tiger was clutching his shoulder, fingers spread out to avoid touching the pen-length thorns that were sticking out. "What are you doing here?" 

"Agnes said you needed some help." He bent down to look at his partner. Little patches of blood were welling up from each site they were sticking out from. "You okay Dragon Kid?" 

"He didn't hit me. Just Wild Tiger."

"You're too, what's the word? Assiduous." 

_ Yeah, this is ground zero for those reports. _

"Okay, I've got to know. What's up with the words?" asked Barnaby, gripping one of the spikes and tugging on it. Tiger grimaced, but nodded for him to continue when he paused.  

"Ah," Dragon Kid blushed, gripping her staff tighter. "I'm studying for my SATs."

_ oh  _ . _..that was not what I expected.  _

"Already? I thought those were for graduating high-school students?" The blond pushed his face plate up to look a bit closer at the injury. "I think these are barbed." 

"I'm studying with Karina." 

Wild Tiger looked her over, grinning as her blush deepened. 

"Kid's a good study partner too. Picks up the lingo fast and is even able to explain definitions when most others would be distracted. I'm sure Karina appreciates it, since practice is half the battle." 

_ A study partner? I've been wracking my brain and guilting myself sick over  _ **_studying_ ** _? _

"That's all this was? Tiger," sighed Barnaby, rubbing that headache spot on his nose, the one that usually headed off the pain.. "You had me going crazy trying to figure this out." 

The older Hero laughed, then groaned when he moved his arm. 

"I was having fun teasing you Bunny. You're always so serious, I thought you'd enjoy having a small mystery to pick apart." 

Did you know Agnes doesn't like it?" 

Dragon Kid and Wild Tiger looked at each other and snickered. 

"We know. It's been fun winding her up too, since she can't say anything bad about studying." 

_ Well... I guess I was  worried for nothing.  _ Barnaby studied his partner, taking in warm chestnut eyes and an infectious grin.   _ It is part of his nature. _

"What?" 

"Nothing," said Barnaby. "Just coming to a conclusion." 

 


	16. Obey

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: Unthinkable, meet Unavoidable. AKA Barnaby and Kotetsu have a reminder that some NEXT Powers are really f*ucking horrible. [Future Fic]
> 
> Author's Note: Camp NaNoWriMo is coming up for April, so all stories will be paused, resuming in May. Thanks for your patience!

The mall was strewn with debris, and this time not all of them came from their resident Hero klutz. The criminal that they were fighting (Marge Deloas) was just as dangerous (read: annoying) as Robin Thicke, and she had forced all of them into causing the differing spots of damage (Rock Bison charging full force into a wall had been funny, in a schadenfreude type of way; Blue Rose making the fountain shoot ice daggers at everyone, not so much.)

Which was why the ice wielder was currently blindfolded, gagged, and bound on the sidelines. Rock Bison still kicked every so often from his spot in the wall, each attempt to pull himself free failing. And Sky High was playing with puppies in the pet shop. Origami Cyclone, once he'd seen the repercussions of listening while under Marge's influence, had shifted a small part of his ears so that a pair of plugs nestled inside. 

_ He's getting much better at precise shapeshifting. _

Barnaby stood in only his under uniform, a little on the cool side, but much more confident in dodging minus armor with joint problems. 

_ Blue Rose really knows how to shoot for a guy's weakness. _

So now there were ripped, burnt, and iced pieces of clothes laying across the main corridor. Holes were everywhere, destroying displays, wasting walls, and resulting in glittering glass. Pretty much everywhere else were broken toys from the nearby Toys R Us and pages ripped from a decimated Waldenbooks. 

And the reason they had all gone to war with the scenery? Little tiny mines that attached to people's limbs like shackles, and that caused them to follow any orders given.

_ Stupid things we can't see until someone is capture _ d. 

With that thought in mind, Barnaby winced to see puffs of purple smoke go off. 

_ Who now? We're running out of candidates.  _

"Bunny!" Kotetsu's voice rang out over the communicator. "I've been hit!"

_ Of course. And he's been holding back on using his power too. Lovely. _

"Oops, did someone fall into my traps? " Marge certainly didn't look sorry; her face contained a grin of pure pleasure. "Listen to only-" 

"Me!" countered Bunny, right at the same time four other voices yelled out. 

_ I heard Fire Emblem, Dragon Kid, and her.  _

"Attack your partner!" Marge shouted, pointing to where Bunny was crouching behind a robot-selling kiosk (the super toy of the holiday season!) "Force him to submit to you!"

_ Kotetsu's on the third floor, so it should take him a minute or two to get down here. Come on Barnaby, think! What's the best strategy for this? _

"Tiger!" yelled out Dragon Kid. "Don't attack Barnaby!"

_ Lightning quick thinking from Dragon Kid, that might actually work.  _

It hadn't with the others. In Blue Rose's case, he hadn't thought to cancel out the orders when she'd turned to attack them. Rock Bison, thankfully, had taken himself out with the wall charge. Sky High was a... special case. 

_ As close as I can figure, the air currents he generates created a vacuum in which he can't hear anything else.  _

It was a good a thought as any. Him not listening had made Marge ignore him, which in turn meant that Sky High was still "stay out of this fight"-ing at the pet shop. Which, on the other hand, was a good thing since he could make sure nothing dangerous happened to the animals over there.

_ The last thing our PR needs is more work, and the last thing we need is- _

A thud sounded behind him, causing the hair on the back of his neck to prickle.

_ No. He wouldn't.  _

He would though. It was totally a Kotetsu move, to take action before thinking of the consequences. 

_ Please tell me he didn't.  _

Barnaby turned around in time to see Wild Tiger lift his face mask, glittering eyes focused on him. There was a tenseness in his stance, an aura of power, focus, and drive. Something his partner only got when talking about the importance of Hero work. 

_ Shit. I should have kept my suit on. _

Barnaby spun and ran off to the right, something large crashing behind him and sending fragments against his back.

_ We need to stop this. _

"Don't worry about me!" Barnaby shouted, passing Fire Emblem and the flames they cradled in their hands; judging by the looks they were giving, they were wavering between throwing them at Kotetsu or not. 

_ Not like fire does much against our suits anyhow. _

"I've got this! You get her! It'll amount to nothing if she gets us all!"

"Dragon Kid! Grab Origami and come over here!" Fire Emblem sang out, extinguishing the flames and retreating, an eye warily watching Tiger. Behind them was a sign advertising pretzels and smoothies. "Council of war!"

_ The food court. Gotta stay away from them.  _

Barnaby kept running, looking behind him every so often to keep his partner on his radar, make sure that he hadn't lost him.  

_ Not that I need to worry about that. Is this how he felt when I was after him? _

Antonio had told Barnaby the tale, straight from Kotetsu's view point. How the two of them had used their powers to beat the crap out of each other. How apparently, just as Kotetsu's power had given out, the hated nickname of "Bunny" had been muttered, snapping Barnaby free of the mind control before he had... injured his partner. 

_ And I'm more afraid of me hurting him than the other way around.  _

Something smashed into the wall in front of him; he slid to a stop. 

"Bunny." Kotetsu's hard words came from behind. "Stop running." 

"Tiger."  Barnaby's heart was beating hard, and it wasn't only from the chase. He turned to face his partner. "You don't want to do this." 

"Yes. I do." 

He kicked out; Kotetsu grabbed his foot and pushed, shoving him back into the wall,which stayed up firmly behind him, damn it.

_ This isn't good... he's still listening to her. _

"Snap out of it!" he shouted, dodging a thrown fist. "I know you don't want to do this." 

Tiger smiled. Not in a playful, fun manner, but hungry. Sharp. 

"We've got an idea on how to capture this trouble maker. How are you holding up Handsome?" 

Barnaby tried to answer his communicator, but reaching for it brought him into Kotetsu's field of opportunity. 

_ That was a mistake. _

The thought was rammed home when he stopped sailing through the air and hit a reinforcement column. 

"Tell me... you've got her..."

"Almost!" said Dragon Kid, voice crackling. "Can you keep Wild Tiger occupied for a few more minutes?" 

He looked up, eyes instantly focusing on the green, black, and white power suit watching him. 

"Yeah." Barnaby got to his feet, settling into a fighting stance. "Not a problem." 

_ Can't let him get to me again - I'm not used to taking hits at that power without my suit _ .

A hand thudded onto the wall on his left; the other to the right. 

_ He wasn't in his armor,  _ realized Barnaby, trapped.  _ He was baiting me! _

Tiger stayed there, a snake waiting for the mouse to blink wrong. 

_ I'm not flinching. Come on Kotetsu. What's your next move?  _

Barnaby stared into those brown eyes. 

_ Usually sweet as molasses, but now... Now they are as hard as rocks.  _

"What are you waiting for?" Speaking made the other Hero flinch. "Come on! Hit me if you're going to hit me!" 

Tiger grabbed Barnaby's wrist, pinching right where the communicator was. 

"She said to force you," he whispered, desire thick in his voice. 

_ Kotetsu? _

"And I know I can do that." 

_ This is not Kotetsu _

"Handsome... is that  **Tiger** I'm hearing?" Fire Emblem's was incredulous, and Barnaby didn't blame them. 

_ This is something I never saw happening.  _

"I can make you..." Kotetsu stepped closer, now less than an inch from his face. "...submit. To me." 

"Barnaby!" Dragon Kid sounded terrified, but he was angry now. 

_ She's turned my Tiger into  _ **_this_ ** _.   _

"Get. Her." ordered Barnaby between gritted teeth. He glared at the man looming over him, as effective as a hiss from a wet kitten. "I've got Tiger." 

"No." Kotetsu grabbed the blond's chin and tilted his head up further. "I've got you." 

_ Truer than you think; you've had me for a while. _

"Barnaby, hang on, we're on our way!" 

He tried to wrench his head away, but his partner's fingers were welded iron. There was no way out.

_ Kotetsu, don't do th- _ Barnaby's thought was cut off as warm lips pressed against his. Surprise left his mouth slightly open, and Kotetsu didn't hesitate, his tongue slamming forward and drawing a moan. 

"St-stop." 

_ I'm going to kill her.  _

Kotetsu pulled back, his thumb caressing Barnaby's cheek. 

_ I've wanted this.  _

The other hand let go of his wrist and ran down the length of his body, tantalizing against the thin fabric.

_ But not here.  _

It settled at the small of his back, and when Barnaby opened his mouth to protest again, Kotetsu pulled him forward.

_ Not like this.  _

It was hard to concentrate. 

_ I've imagined this in so many different ways...  _

But they were nothing compared to reality. The heat of the kisses. Grinding movement against him. Growing heat he could feel from both of them. Barnaby felt it when his knees weakened, and he leaned in. 

Which is when Kotetsu was ripped away by a very angry looking Fire Emblem. 

"You two are going to talk about that later," they promised, looking between the two of them. "Or else it's going to be poisonous. Barnaby, are you alright?" 

_...yes? _

"I think so," said Barnaby, adjusting his glasses. Behind Fire Emblem stood Dragon Kid and Origami Cyclone, holding onto Marge's arms. "You. This is your fault. You made him do that!" 

There was a whimper from his left, but her cackling laugh overpowered it.  

"No, this is your  **partner's** fault. My power just demands that the action be done. He could have made you submit in a fight; he wanted to make you submit to him." She licked her lips and smirked. "Sexually." 

_ He wanted to do that? _

Barnaby flushed bright red as he looked over at Kotetsu... who was hiding his face. 

"Come on," said Fire Emblem, nodding their head at Marge. "Let's take her in and help the others. The fight's over, so they should be over their compulsions. Also, that'll let Barnaby and Tiger talk." 

Dragon Kid and Origami Cyclone nodded, wide eyes moving between Barnaby and Fire Emblem. 

"Um... we'll see you later," Dragon Kid said softly. 

Barnaby waited until all of them had left, Fire Emblem freeing Rock Bison and Blue Rose so that they could help with Sky High. Blue Rose caught his eyes, sympathy in hers, but Fire Emblem had to pull Rock aside and briefly tell him what had happened. Finally, they all left, including the gloating Marge. 

"Tiger?" 

His partner hadn't looked at him since Fire Emblem had ripped him away. 

"Tiger, talk to me." 

_ I think my knees are fine enough now.  _

The blond made his way over to where his partner was standing, completely turned away from Barnaby. 

"Damnit Kotetsu!"

"I'm sorry!" came an answering yell. "Oh god I'm so sorry for doing that! I feel like I'm going to throw up!" 

Barnaby felt as if Blue Rose had iced his insides. 

_ Wouldn't be the first time a criminal lied... _

"Are you sorry for forcing it?" He had to clear his throat to ask the next question. "Or sorry for kissing me?" 

That caused Kotetsu to face him, tears running down his eyes. 

"Never for kissing you,"he said, voice soft, hoarse. "Just that... just that..." 

_ Huh. I didn't think I had a chance.  _

"Then, if that's how you think, I want a different memory," said Barnaby, stepping forward.

_ Fire Emblem's going to want a report anyway... should I make it an R-rated one? _

* * *

Letter from the Soup - O for Obey

Feel free to send a Wild Roar by leaving a kudos or a comment!

 


	17. Requiem

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: Kotetsu hears a melody in the dark of the night. [Future Fic]
> 
> Thank you, and again, thank you all for your patience, and the Wild Roars this fic has received!

A sweet voice rippled through the air as Kotetsu turned, finger on the elevator call button, more ready to leave a long day at the office and head home for what little amount of sleep he would get. 

"... did someone leave their music on?" he muttered to himself. He stopped, holding his breath to hear better. The music started up again, played for a few second, then abruptly stopped. Two breathes later and it had started again. 

_ That's not a machine playing.  _

Kotetsu let go and turned back, taking an unfamiliar left at the end of the corridor instead of the right that led to the training rooms. The music, piano notes and singing, grew louder and louder as he stepped closer. 

Finally, at the end of the hallway, there was a door part way open with the lights on. He stopped and stood there, drinking in the song. 

_ You can't be afraid of forever, nor scared of eternity _

_ No matter where you will go I'll be there _

_ Standing by your side, matching you stride for stride _

_ No matter when you need me I'll be there _

_ Staying next to you....  _

The notes stopped and there was an annoyed huff. 

"No, that's not going to to work... maybe if I change the lyrics here?" 

_ Karina? At this time of night?  _

Kotetsu knocked on the door, pushing his head in to see Karina jump to her feet in surprise. 

"Kotetsu?" She let out a nervous laugh. "What are you doing here so late?" 

"I could ask you the same thing," he said, opening the door with a squeal. Both of them cringed at the noise. "I would've thought you'd be home by now." 

"My parents are out for the night, so I was going to take advantage of the free time to work on my lyrics." She grabbed a sheet of music and waved it at him. "Since the old building was destroyed by Virgil, Titan asked for a small studio to be built for me. I guess they're thinking of making other Hero Idols." 

He looked around the room, taking in the piano, a plain bookshelf with only two sections filled, and the strange way the wall was cut. 

"It's made that way to soak up sounds," said Karina. "Normally the room is soundproof, but I wanted to have the door open, so..." 

"I could hear a little of it by the elevator," Kotetsu said, smiling. "It sounded good. You sounded good." 

Karina flushed, ducking her head a little to late to hide the spreading blush. 

"If this for one of your performances?" 

She froze. 

"Um... not quite." 

Kotetsu rubbed the back of his head. 

_ I feel as if I stepped on a landmine. What could she be so worried about?  _

"For yourself?" 

"Hehe... I guess you could say that, in a way..." Her voice trailed off as she turned away from him. 

"What's wrong?" he asked. "Are you embarrassed about it?" Kotetsu gave a giant grin. "If it's yours, I know it'll be great!"

"Not quite..." Pacing the room, Karina kept shooting him looks, but he kept silent.

_ Just do what Kaede tells you to do, let her think about how she wants to bring it up.  _

So he waited. Her arm movements became more animated, her mutterings louder and louder, and finally, she stopped. 

"I don't know how, when, or even if Apollon Media does it, but Titan had us fill out letters today," she blurted out, eyes locked onto his. 

_ Letters?  _

It took him a few seconds before everything clicked into place. 

"You had to fill out your death letter today?" 

_ I hate those. They make us update them every year, and I never know what to say.  _

"... and that's when I realized, I don't want just a letter." Karina let out a breath. "Dead words on dead trees. If I'm going to die one day as a Hero, then I want to write, and sing, my own requiem. Play it at my funeral." 

"That's..." Kotetsu couldn't find the words. 

_ Morbid? Realistic?  _

"...a really good idea for you, actually." Kotetsu held his hands out before she could say anything. "Most of the memories I have of you not being a Hero are of you being a singer. The idol concert Barnaby and I helped out at, you trying to make a decision between being a Hero or being a singer. And Karina... if that's how you want to be remembered, then you should be writing it." He frowned. "Playing it? Crafting it? Is there a word for when a person makes the music and the lyrics?" 

Karina giggled, and he could almost sense the stress drop away from her. 

_ Was she that worried about what I'd think? Why? _

"Writing is fine." There was a pause. "It's not... morbid or anything, is it?" 

_ Yes and no... I guess it's almost like making a living will. _

"Not at all." He walked over to the piano, setting down the backpack he was carrying. "Um... I can leave if you aren't done. Or comfortable sharing it." 

"It's not finished yet. I have the ideas that I want, and the music, but the lyrics aren't lining up with the melody for me." 

She joined him a the piano, sitting down on the bench. 

"Well, don't wait too long," joked Kotetsu. "I'd like to hear it before it's needed." 

Karina shot him a confused look. 

_ Shit. I shouldn't have said anything.  _

"It's just... 

_ Okay, I was not expecting to have this conversation today...  _

"Karina, I'm older than you by some years," he said, voice softening. "You're closer in age to Kaede than to me, and, well, I honestly hope that I'm not around to be sitting and hearing this... if you, ah, if you know what I mean." 

_ Don't make me say it, please.  _

Her eyes grew wider, tearing up before she slid across the bench and launched herself at him. 

"I didn't, Kotatsu, I'm so sorry, I didn't even think of that!" she said, crying into his shirt and hugging him with Antonio's strength. 

"Hey, hey, it's okay," he soothed, rubbing the her head with one hand and her back with the other. "I wasn't trying to make you feel bad or upset you. I know you didn't mean anything by it. And really, it's a good idea to leave a little bit of yourself for the ones left behind. Trust me, I know." 

Slowly, Karina looked up, wiping away the tears from her cheeks. Her brown eyes were red and puffy. 

_ I'm sorry, I really didn't mean to make you cry over me. _

"You... you really think that?" 

"Of course," said Kotetsu, nodding. "Now, did you want me to leave?" 

"...you can listen to it..." she hiccuped, then giggled. "Um, if you want?" 

"Sure." Kotestu gave her one last hug, then went to sit on a cushion. "Play away." 

She cleared her throat, giving him one last look before placing her hands on the ivory keys. 

_ I might not have had all the time that I wanted , _

_ And I can't borrow anymore from tomorrow . _

_ So I want to talk to you today, right now, _

_ With the words that are you're probably missing. _

_ You can't be afraid of forever, nor scared of eternity, _

_ Just know that where you will go, I'll be there, _

_ Standing by your side, matching you stride for stride.  _

_ No matter when you need me I'll be there, _

_ Staying next to you....  _

The music trailed off, breaking its spell. 

"I'm having problems with that last part, but I think I know what I want the chorus to be. I should also think of what to do later in the song... what?" 

"You have an absolutely amazing voice," said Kotetsu, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand. "And your heart comes out when you sing." 

She smiled and blushed at the same time, then nodded. 

"Thank you." 

_ Always.  _

"You're welcome." He sniffed one more time, then readjusted the hat on his head. "Okay, let's talk about your words. I noticed you're not rhyming them, so that's good, I'm horrible at rhyming." 

"What I'm trying to do is this." Karina pulled out her notes and pointed at several spots with numbers written in parentheses. Kotetsu get up from the cushion and joined her at the piano bench. "See? Here and here should be similar, if not the same, and I'll get the balance here with beats instead of sounds." 

"Then... I think these need to change places." His finger underlined two sentences. "That should help mimic the flow from earlier." 

The two of them stayed together, huddled over the papers until Karina let out a bone-cracking yawn.

"Is that... is that the sun?" 

The two of them looked to the window, where faint wisps of red and gold. 

"Good thing your parents were out all night." 

"I didn't mean to keep you out all night!" 

The two of them looked at each other and laughed. 

"Come on, let's go see the sunrise," said Kotetsu, grabbing Karina's hand. 

"Now?" 

"When else?" he teased. "The roof will have the perfect spot." 

They got up, stretching from working all night, then left the room for the elevator. 

"I really didn't mean to keep you out all night," apologized Karina again. "Are you going to be okay for tomorrow? I'm used to doing things like this." 

"Staying up all night going over lyrics?" 

She giggled. 

"When the muse hits, the muse hits. I used to do it with music too, until I woke my parents up a few too many times. Now it's mainly me scribbling lyrics in a book by my bed." 

"I think I'd rather be out drinking all night," he said, shaking his head in disbelief and pressing the elevator call button. "The amount of times you crossed out words was ridiculous." 

"But they have to be perfect," Karina argued as the doors opened. "It's not like I'll be around to change them later." 

"Truuuue," agreed Kotetsu. "But you also don't have the write the whole thing in one night." 

"It makes perfect sense to strike when the fire's hot." She elbowed him in the ribs. "Or ice when the criminal's caught." 

"Yeah, well, next time don't ice me along with the thief," he retorted, bumping her back. The elevator came to a halt with a bing before anything else could be said. 

"Oh, wow..." Karina said as they stepped out onto the rooftop. The sky was silent and cold, but there was a warm glow of oranges on the horizon, a spread that, with each passing second, concentrated more in the middle. She shivered. 

"Cold?" 

"A little. It's chilly up here." 

_ I didn't think we'd need a jacket.  _

He stepped forward, and hugged Karina from behind. 

_ Heh, she squeaked.  _

"Sorry. I can't control the winds like Keith, I can't loan you my cloak like Nathan, and I'm not an aggressive heat dispenser like Antonio, so hopefully I'll be enough to keep you warm." 

"I'm fine like this." 

And so the two of them passed the next fifteen to twenty minutes standing on the rooftop, his longer arms wrapped around her smaller body. Watching as golden waves crashed over the tops of Stern Bild's tallest buildings and chased away the gentle grey of night.

"Thanks Kotetsu." 

"Anytime Karina." 


	18. Logic (part I of II)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: Kotetsu and Yuri Petrov have a chat. At 2:00 in the morning. Nothing's wrong with that, right? [AU - Kotetsu still has full use of his powers]. {Part I of II}

It was one of those restless nights. All of the others had gone to bed, or had at least gone back to their apartments, but instead of being tired, Kotetsu felt like wandering. Locking his door behind him, and making sure that his mask was in his back pocket, he let his feet guide him, twisting and weaving through the streets in a haze of... well, nothing. 

Which explained why, when he looked up and saw a statue of Mr. Legend, one thought flickered through his brain. 

_ How the hell did I get to the Legend Park? _

Kotetsu shrugged, looked around at the moonlit greenery, and took a seat on one of the swings. Planted his feet on the ground, then quickly drew them up. The movement coaxed a smile out from him, and he kept pumping to feel the fresh air in his face. When he was almost parallel to the bar, he jumped, landing on the grass with both feet. 

"Just like when Antonio, Tomoe, and I used to play at the park," he remembered, snickering. "God, she hated when we did that... though I think it was the fact that she couldn't join than from any actual concern."  

A rattling sound caught his attention. Then a long hissing noise. 

_ That sounds too familiar.  _

"And that's the same as when it was just me and Antonio," he sighed, shaking his head and rolling his eyes. Kotetsu grabbed the mask from his back pocket and started jogging, heading to where there was a low murmur of voices near the pubic bathrooms. Sneaking up over the roof, he studied the situation below; four teenagers with several backpacks of spray paint, brushes, and stencils.

_ More prepared than we were _ he thought, taking in the tape one person was holding.  _ However, as this is a public building… I kinda can’t let it go.  _

He jumped down and cleared his throat. 

"You guys need any help?" 

"Oh shit!"

"Run, it's a Hero!" 

Kotetsu laughed as the four grabbed their bags  and took off, sprinting down the trails. 

"Should at least make them think twice next time," he said, chuckling.

"Wild Tiger?" asked a voice behind him. "What are you doing out here?" 

Kotetsu spun around. Standing in front of him was a jogger wearing a soft gray tracksuit outlined in neon-green piping, complete with a neon blue face cover that only showed their eyes. Grey hair was bound into a ponytail, but there were also clips at the sides to keep the wavy hair in place. 

"Judge Petrov? Is that you?!" 

The man nodded. 

"It's..." Kotetsu looked at his watch. "Almost one in the morning. And you're jogging?"

"Best time for it. No one else it out here, it lets me think about the problems of the day, and it tires me out so I can sleep easier." He looked around. "Why are you out?" 

"Ah... “ He rubbed the back of his head. “I was restless. Ended up in the park scaring some vandals." 

"Hmph. Hopefully enough so that they won't try it again." 

Kotetsu laughed. 

"I don't think they will, they were running as if monsters were on their heels."

Yuri let slip a small chuckle too. 

"What's on your mind? I'll assume it's not the vandals." 

Kotetsu paused, shoving his hands into his pockets and looking away from that intent gaze. 

"Not sure actually." There was a bitter sigh. "Enough so that I can't focus on problems as they come at any rate." 

_ Which is why my brain is all muddled. _

Yuri reached out an arm, then hesitated. 

"Come on Wild Tiger. Let's go talk on the swings. I don't need to get back home until two." 

_ Do you sleep?  _

"This is normal?" he asked, the two of them slowly walking over to the swing sets. "I mean what, you'll probably wake up at six, so you'll have four hours of sleep?" 

Yuri shook his head. 

"I wake up at seven thirty, so I'll have about five hours once I take a shower." Yuri settled into the left swing, so Kotetsu took his swing back. "Now. Talk." 

"Not exactly the most encouraging," Kotetsu said, pumping his legs.  

"I'm not here to be encouraging," retorted Yuri. "I'm here to be a soundboard, someone you can talk  **at** so you can think  **through** knotted thoughts. You don't have to state what your problem is, but you do need to concentrate on what has hooked your brain." 

"I..." Kotetsu stuttered to a stop. "I'm worried about a lot, I guess. I have family, out of Stern Bild, and I want to spend more time with them. I know how it is to suddenly.... to suddenly lose someone, and never to see them again, or hear them next to you anymore. Makes what little time I have more precious.”

His swing settling back to its original place, Kotetsu took the time to wipe away tears. 

"It's hard when it's sudden," Yuri said unexpectedly. "The pain is more drawn out, of course, when there's a long time spent battling... demons, but at the end, it's almost a relief. Welcomed."

_ He speaks like someone who's intimate with that type of pain...   _

"There's also a person that I like," continued Kotetsu. "I don't know if h-they'll like me back, but if they don't, then I've ruined our friendship for nothing."

"If they turn against you, then they weren't a friend in the first place. And a partner, male, female, or neither, both... they should always be a friend first. What happens when they're not..." Yuri sighed, looking up at the moon. "It's... it's not pretty. One will think the worst thoughts of the other, then punish them for it, no matter that it's not true." 

_ I can't tell if he's speaking from things he's seen in his role as a judge, or from events in his personal life. If it's in his past, I hope it was nothing that he grew up with. _

"And... I guess the other big thing on my mind is my job. Well," Kotetsu smiled at Yuri, "you know I want to help people." 

"I do. You're one of the few Heroes who wear their heart on their sleeve, and clumsiness notwithstanding, is committed to seeing the job through. The only other one I can depend on like that is Sky High."

"But… but it's not enough! It's never enough when someone Lunatic keeps escaping!" The chains rattled as Kotetsu gripped them. "And he's killed how many more people? All they're doing it fanning flames of hatred. Blue and green ones that will take over the city." 

"Lunatic..." Yuri didn't sound happy to be talking about the vigilante. "On one hand, as a judge, I agree with you. Nobody is outside of the law, and by killing others, they have marked themselves as a murderer."

"I hear a 'but' coming," said Kotetsu, staring at the man with a frown. 

_ How can you even agree with what he’s doing? _

"But," Yuri said, nodding in deferment, "as a human who has seen people kill once, kill again, and keep killing.... there seems to be some logic that if those killers are dead, more lives will be saved." 

"I might buy that," said Kotetsu, his voice icy, "if Edward had not nearly been barbecued. The kid killed someone, yes, but it was because he was trying to help. Doesn't that count for something? What if I couldn't hold onto a someone during a rescue, and they fell and died?! Wouldn't that be the same thing? Wouldn't that make me a killer?" 

The last word ringing in the air, Kotetsu let out a huff. He dragged his shoe in the dirt and looked away from the burning stare.

"... sorry. I didn't mean to yell at you. You're here at a godforsaken time trying to help me, and I'll I'm doing is shouting at you." 

"Apology accepted." Yuri's voice was unshaken, confident. "As for Edward Keddy... I agree with you, actually. I think Lunatic made a mistake there.... even though the man was seen trying to kill one of the city's Heroes." 

Kotetsu winced. 

"... but, I truly believe that was because he's been imprisoned unfairly. I've been speaking with the other judges to gather laws that may need to be updated, and the one that's kept him imprisoned is one of them, certainly. In the meantime, since he was a minor when the... incident occurred, I've been working on allowing him to receive a clear record when he leaves, along with a new name if he so wishes." 

"That's..." Kotetsu couldn't contain his grin. "That's wonderful! That means Edward could try to become a Hero even! Thank you, it'll mean so much to me and Origami Cyclone!”

_ And Ivan would have all of that blame lifted from his shoulders! _

"It will, won't it." Yuri's statement wasn't a question. "Did this... “ there was hesitation. “Did my being a soundboard help you?" 

Kotetsu thought about the question, mulling over it. 

"... yes... I think it did actually." He beamed at the judge. "Is there anything, anything at all, that I can help you with?" 

"No, I'm fine." Yuri rose from the swing and began to stretch, first his arms, then his legs. "Anything that I would want to get off my chest is covered by privacy laws." 

_ Oh, right... _

He starting to run in place. 

"I'm off then. Have a good night." 

"Night," said Kotetsu, waving as the judge jogged away. "That was... huh. That was actually productive. I didn't think Judge Petrov would be such a good listener." 

A massive yawn had him looking at his watch again. 

"Jeez, two already? Were we really chatting for that long? Maybe Judge Petrov's got the right idea, heading home and all." Kotetsu set out on the western path, the same one that Yuri had taken when he'd jogged away. "Huh. The wind's a little brisk this late at night. I guess that's why he was wearing that mask-scarf thingy." 

He'd only been walking for a few minutes when a shot rang out. 

"Shit!" he cursed, pouring on the speed. 

_ That came from where Yuri went!  _

Kotetsu ran, slowing down slightly when he saw the black silhouette of a body on the path. As he got closer, the darkness became lighter, turning to gray.

"Yuri," he said, looking around him even as he knelt down. "Yuri, are you okay? What happened?" 

The judge let out a small groan, eyes fluttering open to focus on Kotetsu.

"...trap..."

That one little word had Kotetsu standing up, half turned around when something hit him in the back and exploded, forcing him to his knees.

"Good," rang out a woman's voice. "We have a Hero already." 

"Not good," rasped Kotetsu, "when you hurt the Hero." 

"Gorden, another. Then that thing we discussed." 

Kotetsu grunted as another explosion went off right between his shoulder blades. Then, while he was panting on the ground, something cold was slipped over his neck. 

"You're... you're gonna be in trouble," said Kotetsu, standing up and activating his powers. 

_...wait? I don't feel anything? Where's my power?! _

"Yeah, nice try," laughed Gorden. Before Kotetsu could throw off the stunned revelation, and wonder how it had happened, a powerful right hook hit him in the stomach, and a sweep took him out at the feet. He fell heavily to the ground, bouncing his head off of the walkway.  

"Stop that!" 

_... zats nice... yuri's sokay...  _

"Shut up." 

"What do you want with us?” demanded Yuri, his voice low and angry. “If you hadn't noticed, we're not carrying wallets, so it's not like you're going to get a lot of money." 

"Good thing we don't care 'bout that. You're bait." 

_ bait... for what? _

"Bait? For whom?" 

"Lunatic," answered a woman’s voice. "Gorden, take Tiger. What's your name?" 

"Yuri Petrov." 

"Great. Yuri, get up and walk slowly. I have a gun, and if I even think you're going to do something stupid, I'll shoot you." 

Something grabbed Kotetsu around his left arm and heaved, straining it.

"Get up." 

Floundering to his knees, then wobbling to his feet, Kotetsu clawed at the metal that was around his neck. 

_ Off! Gotta get this off of me! _

"It's an anti-NEXT collar," cautioned Yuri. "Don't touch it, many of them explode when tampered with." 

There was a low whistle. 

"Interesting... and how to do you know about these, Yuri?"

"I'm a Stern Bild judge. How do you think we convict criminals who have NEXT powers? Ask them nicely not to escape before they're incarcerated?."  There was a scowl. "While we use the non-exploding type, I've still seen these. And the aftermath of their use." 

Kotetu was prodded forward, the two criminals at his back.. 

"Hands out Hero. We're heading to the tree line, so no funny business." 

"Let me help him," said Yuri. "And we can get this over with faster." 

Gordon and the woman laughed. 

"Hah, do you hear him? 'Get this over with.' He's got a death wish!" 

Kotetsu felt a shoulder underneath his arm. 

"Sorry,” Yuri whispered. “I got you into this mess, so I'm going to get you out." 

Yuri adjusted his position, briefly touching the wristband that was around Kotetsu's wrist. 

"Move it assholes!" yelled the woman, cocking the gun. Kotetsu's headache, inflamed by the piercing voice, was worth it; she had inadvertently masked the sound of Barnaby answering the call. "Get to the tree line and sit down. We're going to wait here for Lunatic to show up." 

_ And for Bunny. _

"And what makes you think he will?" asked Yuri, helping Kotetsu lean against a tree, then taking a seat on the green grass himself. 

"Because if he doesn't, we're going to kill one of you, and that should bring them out of hiding." 

Kotetsu tried to get his breath under control. 

_ Feels like I was hit by a truck. _

"What did you... hit me with?" he gasped out, rolling his neck to look up at the two kidnappers. Gordon was squat and slightly muscular; the woman was petite and slender. Both of them wore black bodysuits with masks.

"Gordon's NEXT power is a gunner stunner; makes you feel like you’ve been poleaxed. We figure that someone might have heard the gunshot, but we had no idea it'd be a Hero." 

G _ reat _

"Why do you even want Lunatic?"asked Yuri. "You  **do** know he will  kill you if you murder someone, right? Or is this a suicide pact?" 

"We've both had a brother murdered by that bastard. He wants to kill the killers? Needs to start with himself."

"So you're becoming vigilantes..."

_ Knew it...I knew this would happen. _

"I say we start with the mouthy jogger.” said Gorden. “Kill him, Lunatic should come flying in." 

_ I can't let them do that! _

Quietly, Yuri began to laugh. It progressed to being louder and more obvious, his shaking shoulders hitting Kotetsu and getting the attention of the captors. 

"You're laughing? Geez you're sick man. What's so funny about your death?"

The laughter subsided, but Yuri was still snickering.  

"I find this comedy of errors funny because you've grabbed the wrong person."

_ The wrong person? What does he mean by that? _

The two criminals exchanged glances, confusion clear in their actions. Kotetsu wanted to tell them that they weren't the only ones, but he bit his tongue.

"How so?" the woman finally asked, pointing the gun at Yuri.  

"I'm not the innocent bystander you think I am." There was a slight hesitation, the a soft sigh. "I'm most likely on Lunatic's list myself as my hands are colored red."

_ Oh...  _

There was a moment of silence, then cursing from the woman as Gorden scratched his head. 

"I don't get it," he said. "If we kill him, we're still murderers, so Lunatic should still come after us." 

"Or he could offer you a job as a vigilante, and thank you for taking someone off his list," Yuri pointed out. “It’d be better to just release us, and give up on this stupid plan.” 

_ Wait, is this just a lie to make them let us go? _

"So..." Gorden looked at the two men sitting down in the cold grass. "We kill the Hero then. Should be easy, he's already got the collar on." 

_ What?! _

"No..." breathed Yuri, darting a quick glance at Kotetsu. "No, that wouldn't work at all.”

_ Come on, listen to Yuri! _

"... hmm. You might have hit the nail upon the head here Gorden." The woman got closer to Kotetsu, then grabbed him by his shirt, dragging him up to his feet.

_ She’s got some muscle for being so tiny.  _

"If Lunatic thought they were as guilty, he would have killed them already, therefore, they must be clean in his eyes."

_ Let me go! _

"Maybe he justifies them since they balance out with true acts of heroism." Yuri shot back, desperation evident in his voice. 

"Shut up. Murderer." 

Yuri flinched. Kotetsu grunted as the gun traveled along the side of his face, then jammed i so hard that he could feel his pulse beat against it. 

_ Shit shit shit this is not going well. Come on Bunny, ya gotta hurry! _

She pushed him back to the ground, and he rolled, coming up against a tree. 

"Legend Park," Kotetsu gasped out. "If I'm gonna die, this is a good place for it." 

"No!" shouted Yuri, surprising all of them. "No, it's fucking not!"

"... come on Gorden, we're wasting too much time on this. Get ready to stun incoming flames." 

She pointed the gun at Kotetsu and fired. 

_...fuck...  that hurts...  _

He had his own flames of pain burning in his chest, and suddenly it felt that there was too much air and not enough air at the same time.

Kotetsu coughed, spitting blood out onto the ground as he wrapped his hands around the shot, trying to put some pressure on it. His hands only succeeded in scrabbling at the spot, painting themselves in thick, sticky liquid and nothing much else. 

"Wild Tiger!"

_...Yuri?  _

The judge's face was blurred, and there was a rushing sound in his ears that blocked out most of the sounds coming from around him. Kotetsu gasped, trying to fill his iron lungs with fresh air. 

"Hang... help's.... the way!"

"... joking ...? ... only thing ... should be Lunatic." 

_ Too heavy. It's all too heavy. _

He let his eyes close, sending tears streaming down the sides of his face. 

_ Kaede. Masabaka. Mom. Bunny. I'm sorry.  _

Kotetsu could feel himself lose consciousness, and there was nothing he could do about it. 


	19. Fallacy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary - Part II of Lunatic and Tiger's talk.
> 
> Author's Note - Thank you all for patiently waiting, and no, for little drabbles like this, I'm not evil to leave you hanging for two weeks off of a cliff (longer stories though, hehehehe)

"Hey... come on Kotetsu. I can tell by your eye movement that you've dropped back into lucid dreaming. Thinking of waking up anytime soon old man?" 

_...there's only one person who calls me that...Bunny? Where am I? _

Wherever he was, his eyes felt as though they were crusted together. With cement. Kotetsu struggled, then finally opened them to get a face full of bright lights.

"Ughhh." 

He tried to block out the lights but his arm didn't move, so he just groaned again 

_ That smell... hospital?  _

"Ah, sorry. Forgot about those." It took two eternities too long for the lights to dim. Thankfully, when it did some of the pain was soothed away by the darkness.  

"The par-?" Kotetsu began to cough, his throat complaining about the sounds he was demanding of it. For each harsh rattle there was an answering pressure in his chest which only made him cough harder. 

"Hey hey hey," soothed Barnaby. "Breathe, just breathe. Here, have some water." 

Kotetsu sipped at it, letting out a deep breath when Barnaby moved the cup away. 

_ My throat still feels dry. _

"Don't worry about talking just yet, they removed your tube a little earlier today."

There was a sigh from the blonde. 

"Thought we almost lost you on that one." He gave a quick smile, pushing his glasses a little bit further up his face.

_ Trying to hide his emotions.  _

"If it wasn't for Judge Petrov's quick thinking, we... might have, actually." 

All the memories from the park flashed through his mind, leaving Kotestu grabbing at the edge of the bed so that he could get up. 

"Yuri?"

"He's fine," Barnaby said quickly. "Much better than you, so stay down. He's got a few bruises here and there, but nothing major. No gunshots to the chest like you."  

A grunt of satisfaction was all that Kotetsu could muster as he let himself fall back onto the bed.

_ Good.  _

"Them?" 

"'Them'?" Barnaby repeated the word, frowning. "Oh, you mean the man and the woman."

A nod. 

_ Ugh, this would be so much easier if I could talk. _

"Lunatic came before we could get there." Barnaby winced after looking at Kotetsu's eyes. "We didn't even see him, we just know because of Yuri's eye witness account... and the bodies."

"Who?"

The heart monitor sped up.

_ Who else died because I wasn't strong enough?  _

"We're still looking into who it might be. Turns out Lunatic's been busy, and there's at least five pages of people who might want to kill him." Barnaby stood up, patting Kotetsu's hand. "You need to rest though, so I'm going to go call your family. Judge Petrov's in the hallway. He wanted to know the moment you were lucid."

Kotetsu watched as his partner made his way to the door. 

"I get the feeling that the judge is grateful, but that probably won't extend to property damage." 

There was a laugh at the remark, then a small groan. Barnaby slipped out the door, leaving Kotetsu alone. 

_ Ugh. I feel horrible.  _

The door opened again, and this time a head of long, wavy grey hair peeked in. Kotetsu winced to see the large amount of blood soaked across the man's outfit. 

_ Is it strange to hope it's mine?  _

"Good to see you're up..." Judge Petrov finally said, giving a small nod. "Stern Bild would have had a hard time without you." 

"What happened?" 

"Exactly what I guessed would," said Yuri, leaning against the doorway. "Lunatic showed up while I was trying to keep your blood on the inside of your body, and he fired away. I'm lucky he didn't think to kill me too." 

"Maybe he learnt,” Kotetsu tried to wet his mouth and swallow. "After Edward." 

"Maybe." 

Yuri didn't sound too convinced. 

_ I'm not either.  _

"Thank you." 

The words dropped into the building silence and broke it. 

"Barnaby... told me you saved me."

".... maybe that was it." Yuri walked over to the window, drawing the curtains. "Saving the life of a Hero excused me from my act of murder."

"... we're not better." Kotetsu's voice sounded like sandpaper, but he continued. "We're not special. We're human. Good and bad." 

There was no answer at first. 

"Do you think..." the judge coughed. "That Heroes can go bad?" 

Hesitation, then a nod. 

_ Where did this topic spring up from? _

"Anyone can be bad. Anyone can be good." Kotetsu's voice broke on the last word, and the waves of wheezing began, hard enough to force tears down his face and blur his vision. A cool glass was pressed into his hands, the gulp of water feeling as if he hadn’t just drank before.”. 

"Thank you." Kotetsu cleared his throat, sipping a bit more water. 

_ I feel stronger already  _

"As I was saying. Our actions are what make us good. Some people do good with bad intentions. Others do bad with good intentions." 

Yuri let out a hum. 

"I'm not sure I've heard of doing good accidentally." 

Kotetsu let out a bark of laughter. 

"My daughter. She-" he broke up, clamping his mouth shut. 

_ I gave away my secret!  _

"...are you okay? You've turned white." 

"Um..." 

"Is it because you mentioned a daughter?" There was a huff. "I'm going to guess that the family I spoke with earlier is yours. Charming mother, standoffish older brother, worried little girl." Yuri looked at Kotetsu. "Don't worry. I won't say anything about them."

"Barnaby was calling them...?"

_ Why would he call if they were in the hallway? _

"I believe they went down to the cafeteria for something to drink." Yuri paused. "The doctors didn't think you'd wake up for a bit longer yet."

"...oh." 

Kotetsu wasn't sure how he should feel about that. 

_ Do I really want him to know about my family?  _

He studied the man. 

_ He  _ **_is_ ** _ one of the finest judges for Stern Bild. I'm lucky to be working with him. He sticks to his beliefs as strongly as I stick to mine, and I get the feeling that he'd fight just as hard for them too.  _

"Dad!" The door banged open, startling both men. Kotetsu began to cough again, and Yuri quickly refilled the glass, handing it over again. 

"Um, sorry." Kaede twisted her hands together and scuffed at the floor. 

_ Growing up so fast but she's still so cute! _

"Nothing to worry about Kaede-chan." Yuri patted her on the shoulder. "Since it seems you're in good hands again, Kotestu, I shall leave you. Until the next time I see you in the my courtroom." 

Kotetsu nodded, giving the man a smile as he left the room.

"What happened this time dad?!" asked Kaede, huffing and narrowing her eyes. "You said you were going to be careful!" 

"I was," protested Kotetsu, one hand up in surrender. "This one wasn't my fault." 

"You say that every time we visit you here," added Muramasa from the doorway. "Mom's talking to the doctors, if you were wondering."

_ Kinda was. _

"Thanks." 

"How do you, when you're a Hero, get shot by accident?" asked Kaede. 

Memories of every time he'd thrown himself in front of a bullet, or a villain had shot at him flashed through his mind.

"Easier than you'd think," muttered Kotetsu, offering a hand to his daughter. 

"But... this?" She shook her head. "You've been shot before, I rewatched your episodes of Hero TV, your power takes care of it." 

_ Aww, she watched the old episodes looking for me? _

Kotetsu grinned at the thought of Kaede cheering for him, then sighed.

_ Ugh. I hate to bring the creep up, but... _

"Kaede-chan, do you remember those collars? The ones Rotwang made the other Heroes wear?" Kotetsu felt a sudden sympathy for his teammates. He'd worn his for less time and had hated every second.

"The ones the stopped their powers?" She nodded, her eyes narrowing. Kotetsu wouldn't have taken a bet that she was remembering the events with Maverick. "Yeah. I remember them. I was so worried he was gonna blow everyone up."

_ I still wish you hadn't been put in that position... _

"What about them?" asked Muramasa.

"Yeah..." Kotetsu scratched his nose. "They put one on me. So my powers didn't work when I got shot." 

Next to the window, blossoms in a vase sprouted green flames.

_ Green?! _

"Whoa whoa whoa!" shouted Kaede, backing away from the flaming flowers. Masamura snatched Kotetsu's glass and splashed the rest of the water on it, thankfully killing the fire.

Kaede huddled in the corner, starting at her hands in horror. 

"Copy my power," said Kotetsu in a firm voice, holding out his hand again; this time Kaede didn't hesitate. She grasped it like a drowning person would a lifesaver. 

_ That color... could she really have run into Lunatic?  _

"Who did you recently touch?" 

"I don't remember," she said, not letting go. Tears welled up in her eyes. “When Barnaby told us you were awake, I ran here. I’m sure I bumped into a lot of people.”

"You did," commented Masamura. "I had to keep apologizing for you, which is why I was a bit behind." 

There was a knock on the doorframe. 

"Can I come in too?" 

"Barnaby!" Kaede ran over to him and hugged him burying her face in his side. He looked at Kotetsu, who pointed to the windowsill. 

"What did I miss?" 

"Kaede picked up someone else's next power," said Masamura. "Green flames." 

Barnaby hugged the girl tighter. 

_ And that's why he makes a good partner.  _

"Lunatic... did help you earlier," Barnaby said in a slow and halting voice. "The collar had been melted off." 

Kotetsu's hands reached up to rub around his neck. 

_ I don't feel any scars. _

"There were no marks on you, just on the metal." 

"How precisely can he control those flames?" Kotetsu wondered aloud. 

_ Enough to melt metal, but leave skin untouched? _

"We've seen recordings that the walls have only burnt enough to let him in. Also, think about his cape."

Kotetsu nodded, flexing his right hand into a fist. 

_ Ugh... just thinking about Lunatic makes me want to punch him. _

"Right... Barnaby, let's see if we can get a list of people who're in the hospital right now. Contact Judge Petrov, since I don't think they'll just give us the names. As an impartial, official part of the city's administration, he should be able to get access." 

"How are you going to explain it?" asked Masamura. "You can't mention Kaede-chan." 

_ Absolutely not. I want her to keep her 'real' power a secret. Let everyone else think she has magnetism and super strength. _

Kotetsu nodded. 

"I don't think we'll have to. What if we just mention the flowers?" 

"That could work," said Barnaby, running a hand down Kaede's hair. "No need for names, just the fact that there were green flames." 

"I'm sure Yuri will be able to help us in our investigation," said Kotetsu, eyes shining with excitement. "And then maybe we'll finally be able to capture Lunatic!" 

_ Yuri's gotta help us! _

"Only," interrupted Barnaby's voice, "if you stay in your bed and heal. I'll do all the leg work." He patted Kaede on the top of the head. "How about you help me by keeping a close eye on your dad?" 

"Sure!" She gave him another hug, then ran back over to her dad. Kotetsu grabbed her around the waist and gave her a huge hug.

"Muramasa rolled his eyes. 

"I'm going to go find mom. Since you'll still be eating hospital food, maybe we'll all go out for fried rice." 

_ Jeeeeerrrrrkkkk! _

Kotetsu adopted a teary-eyed pleading look. 

"You wouldn't." 

"Maybe you'll stop landing yourself in the hospital." There was a pause before he left the room. "Um... look, little brother. Glad you're still around." He didn't wait for an answer, stepping out into hallway to be lost in the conversations and noises out there. 

_ Thanks Masabaka. _

"What he said," added Barnaby, shaking his head and smiling. "Good to have you back partner. It would have been horrible to lose you." 

_ Thanks Bunny. It's good to still be here. _

Kotetsu let out a soft sigh and hugged Kaede tighter.


	20. Quantity/Quality

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: Kotetsu and Kaede have different ideas about how she should work on her power [Future Fic]  
> Author's Note: A shorter piece to add to the pile, but it was fun to write about a teenage Kaede :)

"You can't just tell me to stop!"

"Kaede, I'm your father-"

"And you have no idea what you're doing! Or what you're asking me to do!" 

The door to the front of the apartment opened with its telltale squeak, then slammed shut. Barnaby starting to turn off the burner, putting the knife in his hand down on the cutting board when a thud came from the entrance way. He poked his head out of the kitchen just in time to see Kaede throw her other shoe at the wall space near the umbrella stand. 

"Kaede? Are you okay? What's all this about?"

She didn't answer him, turning instead to face the door with her shoulders high and hands clenched. 

The door opened again, unaccompanied by slamming as Kotetsu took the time to shut it gently behind him. "You have no right getting angry at me, I'm just worried about you-"

"I didn't ask you to! And if I'm feeling angry THEN I HAVE EVERY RIGHT TO BE ANGRY!" 

Barnaby picked up a wine glass and poured one of his sweet white wines into it. Lesson number one had been learned a long time ago; don't get in the middle of a tiger fight. He sipped, keeping quiet as he heard the two go at each other in the entrance way. 

"I AM handling my power the BEST I can, and then YOU tell me that I'm not doing it correctly! It's not YOUR power you have NO idea!"

Kotetsu firmly placed his shoes onto the rack.

"It's dangerous for you to keep borrowing others' powers Kaede. Someone bad is going to find out that you can wield whatever you touch and take advantage of you!" 

"But I can't!" she snapped right back. "And that's the problem! I don't magically take a power and use it as if I'd always have it. Remember when we first thought I had control over metal?"

Barnaby looked out the kitchen archway to see Kotetsu paused, cocking his head as he tried to remember when that had happened. Kaede waited, her foot tapping the floor until he finally shook his head.

"Oh yeah, that's right." She snapped her fingers. "You weren't there to see every. Single. Metal. Thing. in the kitchen attracted to me. Watching a pot and pan whizzing out to hit you from the soapy sink is scarier than you think."

"I'm worried-"

"Want to hear what I'm worried about?" She began to tick off her fingers. "Not being able to help people, hurting myself, hurting the people around me, never being-" 

"Sweetie, you don't have to worry about me an' Barnaby, we'll be fine." 

"NOT THE POINT!" she yelled, breathing heavily and tugging on her hair. Barnaby had to stifled a giggle. As angry as she was at her father right now, she was definitely still her father's daughter.

"Yeah, for one minute, and then a newfound power involving steak knives would shish kebab you!" Kaede let out a muted scream. "Dad, I can't deal with this, I can't fucking DEAL with you! You have NO idea what it's like and now you're asking me to give up what little control over it I have. I'm going to my room! DON'T bother coming up to talk to me since I sure as HELL don't want to talk to you right now!" Kaede stomped off, but not before Barnaby saw her swiping at her eyes. 

"Kaede-"

"Leave me alone!" She ran up the rest of the steps, pounding out her frustrations. 

"Kotetsu," Barnaby said slowly, addressing the only person left in the room. "What was that all about?" 

The older man let out a large sigh, then flumped onto the couch.

"We met her teacher in the park," he said, letting his head flop back. "From Hero Academy. Asked Kaede how she was doing and what power she was working on next." 

"'Next'?"

There was a confirming groan. 

"Kaede's apparently been borrowing her classmates' powers and practicing. Not just one or two, but all of them."

"Hmm." Barnaby thought about it for a few seconds, having the powers of Fire Emblem or Sky High in the hands of a novice. "That sounds a little dangerous." 

"That's what I said!" snapped Kotetsu, throwing up his hands. "I told her she should work on gaining new powers one by one. Start with the easiest, or most useful." He snorted. "No, she wants to borrow a person's power, then put on a t-shirt that says 'don't touch me or feel my wrath'." 

"And that let's her keep the power for the day." Barnaby nodded. "Other than it being a little dangerous, like with any Next who has new powers, why don't you want her doing it?" 

"You know how long it took us to get used to our strength." Kotetsu smiled at Barnaby. "Or maybe not, I forget sometimes that you've always had your powers." 

"Trust me, I broke many things when I was younger." Barnaby came out to perch on the side of the couch. "I remember." 

"... I remember too," said Kotetsu, groaning. "And when I do, I really have to thank whatever gods are out there that Antonio has such thick skin; I don't think he would have survived our first fights otherwise. Keith took years to control his flying, and Ivan uses such fine precision with his shape-changing abilities that he put himself off believing that he could do it for years. She's not going to learn enough to keep anyone, including herself, safe if she gets a different power every day. One or two powers, powers that she can learn how to handle well, that's all she needs."

Barnaby didn't give an answer, choosing instead to take another sip of wine.

"She seems to be taking care of it pretty well on her own." 

"She needs to settle with one," grumbled Kotetsu, repeating his thoughts. "And learn how to use that one before she should move onto another." 

"...you're right, that's one way." The blond stepped over the man's stretched out legs and sat down on the opposite end of the couch. "The other way is what she's doing, and I think that might actually be better for her." 

Kotetsu's jaw dropped. 

"How? She's flipping through powers like, like... like a pack of cards! And if she thinks she's going to build a house with it, it'll just come crumbling down" 

Barnaby chuckled, taking off his glasses and polishing them with the bottom of Kotetsu's shirt. 

"True, I might agree with you a bit and think she's going a little faster than she needs to, but Kotetsu, do you know how many people she brushes up against every day? 

"No."

"Do you even know how many students go to her school? How many are in her class?" 

Kotetsu snorted. 

"I know she's got about thirty other kids in her homeroom."

"Okay, let's say thirty kids," said Barnaby. "In your hometown, when you were growing up, how many do you think had NEXT powers?" 

"Two or three?" He shrugged. "It wasn't a good thing to be NEXT then, so we mostly kept it to ourselves. There was another kid who transferred when his power went off in class, but other than that it was secret."

"And keeping to yourself might have been the best option back then, but now... now she's in a class where everyone has something unique about them." Barnaby shook his head. "I wish you could have gone there too, and just felt the boost in confidence that you weren't some... abnormality. That there were others like you, and you weren't alone."

Kotetsu rubbed his hand on his partner's leg. 

"Kaede's getting that emotional boost, and she's being as safe as she can by learning as much as she can. It didn't matter if she brushed up against a classmate back in her elementary school; most were ordinary people. Now though, if she touches any of her classmates here, then she'll suddenly have a new power. I'm sure she'll settle down in the future by picking one or two to dive into and focus on, but for now she's just trying to survive... and let her classmates survive too." 

Kotetsu cocked his head. 

"Think about it. What would happen if there was a fire user in the class? An ice user? Electricity? Super strength? All it would take is one little touch to start an accident, and someone would end up in the hospital."

"... I didn't think of it like that," Kotetsu admitted, rubbing his face with his hands. "It is survival, isn't it?" 

Barnaby nodded, beginning to untie the apron he was wearing. 

"Keep an eye on the tuna casserole, okay? I don't want it burning." 

"Where are you going?"

"To talk to Kaede," replied the blond, already half up the stairs. "I've got your side of the story, and now I want to hear hers." 

"She said she didn't want to talk to anyone." 

"No, she said she didn't want to talk to you." He let out a smug grin. "She didn't say that about me, and I've been her favorite Hero for longer." 

Kotetsu stuck out his tongue. 

"Think about it though, while I go brave the moody teenage in her room. How many people do you come into contact with in a day?" 

 


	21. T - Tired

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: A hurricane blows into Stern Bild, and our Heroes try to do what they can  
> Author's Note: Thank you for your patience on this one, 'T' for some reason was really hard to write... on the plus side, there's a 'T' for Ivan and Nathan. :D

**Disclaimer** : I don't own Tiger & Bunny in any way, shape, or form. I just like to play with the characters.

 **Summary** : A hurricane blows into Stern Bild, and our Heroes try to do what they can

 **Author's Note:**  Thank you for your patience on this one, 'T' for some reason was really hard to write... on the plus side, there's a 'T' for Ivan and Nathan now. :D

* * *

Tiger was beyond heavy. His legs were the tree trunks behind the collapsed shrine near his mother's house, and his arms were made of the cracked stone foundation. Each finger throbbed, out of sync with his heartbeat so that he wasn't sure which throbs were hurtful and which one was keeping him alive. His partner was pinned by a car, almost as if he was a bug instead of a bunny, and was now splayed across the hood; they were were trying to save their powers in case the situation inside was bad, or if they needed to evacuate during the storm.

 _And couldn't get up_ his mind laughed, any mirth covered with a heaping dose of sarcasm. The problem was less of an attack and more of a disaster - a natural disaster in the form of a typhoon bearing down on Stern Bild.

 _A typhoon that sprang up with no warning,_  he reminded himself.  _But it doesn't matter if this is natural or NEXT powered, we need to get to those kids!_

And that was the crux of the matter. They'd been watching the weather map, seeing where weak places needed help in the form of paramedics or other professionals, when Barnaby's face had lost all color.

"That's the orphanage," he said when questioned.

_'That' being the SOS call made to 119, a woman's panicked voice saying the water had surged over the road and was blocking them, and the children, from being able to leave._

"We need to help," Barnaby had said, turning to them all with fear in his eyes. Even if their friend hadn't grown up there, none of them were going to say no. When it came down to it however, the only four people that could make it through the winds were him, Bunny, and Rock Bison. Sky High would continue to remain grounded as long as the wind currents were over 150 mph.

 _And as long as the water currents don't wash us away either_  Tiger thought, feeling a sucking pull at his ankle.

"Right!" Tiger yelled, waving one arm forward so that Rock Bison would understand. He wiped the rain out of his face and turned so that his partner was parallel to him, making it easier to cut into the wind. At this point he was wading through mud and debris that reached mid-thigh, and any time that something brushed against his legs, he wondered if it was a body.

 _Way too many nights watching the weather channel reports on disasters_  he scolded himself.  _On the other hand, watching about what not to do during a hurricane or tornado helps._

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Rock Bison change directions, about three meters away, and following him.

"Hey, Bunny!" Tiger greeted his partner when he got close enough. "You're supposed to hit the road, not get hit by the car."

Barnaby glared at him; he could tell even through the face plate.

"Ha. Ha. This doesn't tickle."

"I know, we're workin' on it." Tiger studied the car. Its front hood was pinning Bunny to a store front wall, and didn't look to be moving anytime soon. "If we can put it into a tailspin, then maybe..."

He put his hands against the trunk and pushed, immediately stopping when he heard a low moan.

"If this is hurting-"

"I don't care," said Barnaby. "It needs to get off me, and if that hurts, then it hurts."

Tiger nodded, pushing against the car again and letting the wind blow away complaints. The effort left the two of them panting.

"What's the plan?" asked Rock Bison, coming up with a splash.

"You're gonna have to drop down," shouted Tiger. "We'll push the car with the current."

They waited a few more minutes for Rock Bison to join them, and then all three of them pushed at the car. It creaked, then shrieked, moving a little in the water until the right rear tire dropped.

"It's stuck!"

_Of course it's stuck - that's how everything goes to hell, right?_

"How ya feelin' Bunny?" Kotetsu called out.

"Like a butterfly," came the deadpanned response; Kotetsu laughed despite the situation.

"Let's try it again," said Rock Bison, positioning himself near the downward slanted end. "I'll push up, Tiger, you sweep to the side."

Both of the other Heroes nodded; Kotetsu to show that he understood the directions, and Barnaby to show he knew pain was coming.

"On three! Two! One!" Rock Bison crouched down and lifted, causing Barnaby to cry out. Kotetsu shoved as hard as he could, and the (CAR DESCRIPTION) wrenched sideways with a squeal of metal, letting go of their friend.

Barnaby took a step, then sank up to his chest.

"Shit!"

Kotetsu felt his heart sink.

"What's wrong?" he asked, wading closer to his partner and pulling him up from the mucky water.

"My leg," said Barnaby. "I think that car broke it when it pinned me."

"Damn it," cursed Rock Bison, looking to Tiger. "We're not going to be able to get there if he can't walk."

"We're halfway there," said Barnaby, the grit, and pain, evident in his voice. "And that's my home. My family. I'm not turning around."

"But even if you make it there, you're not going to be able to help," said Tiger, giving Rock Bison a look.

The wind whipped up around them, sending water further up their legs and even more debris at their heads.

"You're not going to make it," Tiger repeated, shaking his head. "And out of the two of us, if there's an emergency, my Hundred Power would be more useful than Rock's unbreakable skin."

"You're not-"

"He is." said Rock Bison. "I agree with him. I'm going to get you to a hospital, and he's going to continue on."

"What?!" Barnaby struggled to stand on his two feet. "That's an idiotic idea! Look, I'll power up now and heal-"

"Hey!" snapped Tiger. "You know that's not going to heal your leg correctly, so don't do it, or we're going to have to rebreak your leg later!"

"That's rich coming from you!"

"If you use it now, you won't have your power to help when you get there," rumbled Rock Bison. "Tiger will."

Kotetsu saw the exact moment Barnaby accepted the situation. It was when the blonde's shoulders straightened, and his eyes snapped up.

"I'm trusting them to you."

"I know."

There was nothing else to say, and Tiger watched them start back in the same direction they'd all come in. Then a street sign clanged off of his armor, and he turned to the orphanage, hands up to fend off the wind.

* * *

 

Some Time Later

* * *

 

"I shouldn't have left." Barnaby groaned, looking out the window to glare at the weak sunshine. "The storm finally broke up about an hour ago, and he's still not answering."

They were the only two in the hospital; Pao-Lin was out helping to keep the electricity running, Karina was icing down out of control fires, Antonio was sifting through debris with Ivan, and Nathan was using their flames to cook up food for evacuees.

"You didn't have a choice," Keith pointed out, blue eyes on the dissipating clouds in the sky even as his helmet rolled around from hand to hand. "I'm heading out to check on him right now."

"I haven't heard from anyone at the orphanage either, neither the kids nor the sisters. Let me know..." Barnaby swallowed hard, blinking rapidly to hold back tears. "Whatever happened. Just, let me know."

_I'd rather know than sit in the dark._

"They'll be fine." Keith put the helmet on, then raised his arms. "And fine again. I'm sure of it."

Barnaby didn't say anything.

_I'm not. I'm sure though that he did everything he could to help the sisters._

Then he was alone in the room, only the soft noises from the hallway keeping him company. Each minute that Sky High spent flying over there was a century of tapping his communicator, counting out the seconds and making them eternities.

"As requested," came Sky High's voice over the communicator. The call became a video, and Barnaby drew in a sharp breath at what his old home had become. Nothing was left of the porch, neither the soft yellow of the Goddess nor the posts that they'd all swung around on as kids. Dirty greenish-brownish muck suckled high on the walls, even dripping down off of the rooftop, slurped up by the remaining water below.

 _I don't pray much but Goddess, let them have survived that!_ He could easily imagine the cold, brackish water surging higher and higher, the kids being held up, the sisters standing on furniture to make sure tiny heads were out of the water, able to draw in desperate gulps of air.

He choked, feeling his throat constrict at the thought.

The area inside was still dark, even with a few rays of light shining inside. Nothing looked normal, or even identifiable since everything that could be seen was sodden, covered in mud. Sky High climbed the stairs, his feet squishing rather than creaking; Barnaby could hear every sound. Finally, he open the door and shined a flashlight into the highest room.

Wood, more wood, and then finally, something just as dark but certainly not wood.

_Tiger?_

Sky High moved further into the room, and Barnaby jammed his fist into his mouth to stifle a sob. It was Tiger. Still in his suit, but laid out on the floor, surrounded by several of the kids. Each arm had one, another child was curled up on his back, and a fourth was hugging his legs.

_Oh. Oh Goddess no._

Barnaby closed his eyes. He didn't want to see any more.

"At least... at least they didn't go alone," he said, the words slipping through the burning of his throat.

"Barnaby..."

"Sky?" asked a sleepy voice, tearing Barnaby from his dark thoughts and forcing his eyes on focus on the video. Kotetsu's head had lifted up, and he was currently yawning, the sound coming through easily since none of the kids were up yet. "It over? 'Cause I'm really tired."

"It is," rumbled Sky High's voice." Barnaby's been trying to call you. I've got him on video.

"Ah," sighed Kotetsu, not moving. "Sorry Bunny. We ended up swimming, for *yawn* a while, and then we all went to sleep."

"Where are the sisters?" asked Sky High.

"Um..." Kotetsu yawned again. "They're in the building next door. Got the younger ones. Was tryin' to pass the older kids, but it became too dangerous. We stayed here, took a nap."

Barnaby shook his head, groaning, crying, and laughing at the same time.

Around him, Barnaby could see the kids waking up, their voices loud and clear, exited that they were getting to see one of their favorite Heroes up close.

"Bunny, how do I get ya to stop thinkin' the worst?" chided Tiger softly, concern (and sleepiness) in his voice.

* * *

 

Letter from the Soup - T for Tired

Feel free to send a Wild Roar by leaving a review!


	22. Kindness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Tiger & Bunny in any way, shape, or form. I just like to play with the characters.
> 
> Summary: It's the little things that can really brighten up someone else's days.

Barnaby hit his alarm a minute before it was set to go off. Morning was one of the best parts of the day: peaceful, relaxing, and quiet. There were times when one of those three were missing, such as when Kotetsu slept over (dear  _ GOD  _ did the man snore!), when he had nightmares of Maverick coming back from the dead (certainly not relaxing), or when someone in the neighborhood decided to remodel their place, which resulted in construction starting at six on the dot (goodbye peace).

Today though, all three were present... which was strange because Kotetsu had been here last night. He turned to the other side of the bed, grinning at the messy tuck in. 

"He  _ was  _ here at some point," muttered Barnaby, pushing hair out of his face and reaching for his glasses. Seeing clearer didn't help. The bed had clearly been slept in, and it hadn't been by him. Sighing, he threw the covers back so he could remake the bed properly, and froze. In the middle of the bed was a present, long and thing, wrapped in pink bunny paper.

"It's nowhere near my birthday..." The blond picked it up and walked over to his desk to get a letter opener. Nicking the edges, then slitting the side of the paper, he removed the paper, and placed it on the desk. A set of twelve tickets were bundled together. "January 16h 7:30 - Ice Skating Championships. February 6th 11:00 - Phantom of the Opera. March 22nd 14:00 - Fondue Lunch set at A La Fromage." He shook his head. Each ticket was meant for three people, two adults and one child, and he'd have to be thick not to know who would be going with him. 

"... this looks like fun," he admitted, wondering if Kaede would feel any sympathy for the Phantom, or if she would be cheering Christine the whole way. 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------

Both were panting after their morning jog, but John had the quicker reaction by a hair. The golden retriever balked at the front door and growled, unmoved by Keith's reassurances behind him. The Hero skritched his friend at the base of his tail, and when John was sufficiently distracted, moved forward to see what had caused the alarm to be sounded. 

"John, it's just a package at the front door," he said, shaking his head and smiling. "See? Just a package... without a delivery notice... or any shipping labels..." Keith's smile slipped as he realized that only his name was on the box, written in angular letters. He grabbed John's leash and walked him over to the other side of the street. "You stay here, I'll go see about our mysterious gift." 

Keith waited for a truck to go by, then he jogged back to the front door, looking over the box in question. 

"I don't hear any ticking sounds." He took a step closer. Picked it up and shook it. "I supposed I'll need to open it." He grabbed his keys and tore through the tape, trying to figure out what he was holding. The flaps opened, and for a moment Keith was flabbergasted.

"Hey, John..." he looked at it again, then remembered that he'd kept John away just in case the package had turned out unsafe. "Huh... an activity mat for dogs and their owners to try Dog Yoga." He waved it at John, who barked and wagged his tail,, tongue licking the air. "This is just the thing to start the day right!" 

Keith set the book and mat down, then went back to untie John. 

"I'm not sure who gave this to us," he told his four-legged friend, "but I wish I could say thank you, and again, thank you!"

\----------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Karina slung her backpack into the corner of the piano room and refrained from kicking it. 

"Ugh, I thought I was done with math when I graduated high school!" She walked over to the keys and pressed down harder than she normally did, enjoying the sweet notes. "I had no idea that music theory was more math and less creativity."

She pressed a few more keys, then winced at the sour notes that floated out to linger in the air. 

"What's wrong with you?" Karina asked, opening the lid and taking a peek inside. There was a square box sitting on the sour-note string, wreathed in ribbon. "Is this... for me?" 

Carefully, she snagged it and brought it into the light. It wasn't heavy, but it wasn't light either. A pinch and a pull took care of the ribbon, which fluttered to the ground as she unfolded the cardboard. 

"Wow!" Eyes sparkling and mouth open in surprise, she took out two arm bracelets, holding the metal up to the light. Polished gold shone, and showed off the music notes; squinting revealed tiny lyrics written in cursive beneath them. 

"I always have to go NEXT!! Always go ahead-" she couldn't finish the rest of her song, instead wiping away tears from her eyes so that she could read the rest of the words. It wasn't one of her best songs, or at least, she didn't think so. But... this had been written after she'd left the bar early, trading her coveted stage time for her Hero outfit and running as fast as she could, desperate to make sure that her friends survived the oil rig fire. This was her reminder to be all of herself when she tackled whatever the next situation brought. 

Karina looked at her backpack again. She put the bracelets on, then dug out her math book to go over those problems again. 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------

Antonio drank the beer Kotetsu put in front of him, laughing as they reminisced about their old school days. 

"I still don't know how Tomoe put up with us," he finally said, wiping away tears. "Let alone married a guy like you!" 

Kotetsu shook his head. 

"I've no idea either."

"One more?" Kotetsu nodded, but stood up. 

"Just let me run to the toilet." He set off, and Antonio had to laugh as his friend swayed around the room. 

"Mr. Lopez? Is there a Mr. Lopez here tonight?" 

Antonio heard and raised a hand. 

"Thank you sir. I have a package for you, but I'll need to see some identification before I hand it over." 

Antonio snorted, but reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out his driver's licence.

"Thank you sir..." The server handed over something that clinked. "This was left at the front desk with a note that a Mr. Antonio Lopez was missing it." 

Antonio stared at the gift as the staff member left, then ripped the paper away. In front of him was a glass jar, full of metal keys. 

"What the hell?" 

Kotetsu came back to the table, then did a double take when he saw the jar. 

"When did you start collecting keys?" 

"I didn't. Someone left this for me."

The two of them looked at the jar. 

"Is there anything else inside it?" 

Antonio reached out and unscrewed the lid, shaking the jar so that he could peer around the shifting mass of metal. 

"Yeah... a note or something."

He fished it out, then smoothed it against the table, grabbing his beer to take another drink. 

"If you're reading this, then you've received your gift. Half to be precise."

Kotetsu snickered. 

"Right now, your apartment is being filled with treasure chests. One of these keys will open one of the chests. Good luck." 

The snickering grew into guffaws as Antonio blinked at the message. 

"So... one of these many keys will fit one of the many chests being delivered to my place?" It took him a few seconds, and then a broad grin spread across his face. "Nice. I like puzzles." 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------

Pao-Lin bounded into the training room, her eyes as wide as saucers. 

"Guys! You won't believe what happened to me yesterday!"

"Something good we're guessing," said Ivan, putting down his dumbbells. 

"So spill, what happened?!" said Nathan, crowding closer. 

"I was studying at home, and the doorbell rang. Someone ordered a pizza for me!"

Barnaby's eyebrow quirked. 

"A pizza?" 

"Yep! And not just any pizza!" She took a deep breath, then let it shudder out with longing. "It was a Korean pizza, with kimchi and more on it!"

Karina made a face as Ivan shrugged. 

"But there was another delivery after that - I got a free cake package! There was a range of cakes in it, chiffon, brownie cake, and even a tiramisu." 

"But why?" asked Kotetsu.

"She was lucky, that's why," answered Keith. "Lucky once, and lucky once again!" 

"I mean, they must know me, since they know I like new foods." She laughed. "I ate everything, and I felt wonderfully full afterwards. It was wonderful." 

"That was nice of someone," Karina admitted, looking at the golden bracelets on her wrist. "I found these in my piano the other day." 

"In the piano?" 

"I got a weird gift of keys in the pub the other day," said Antonio. "And when I got home, there were about fifty chests scattered around my apartment, and supposedly only one of those keys that I got work. Haven't figured out which one yet, it's been fun testing them."

"And some of those chests have ten or more locks on them!" laughed Kotetsu, slapping his friend on the back. "Whoever thought that up was brilliant!"

"Hmm..." Nathan tapped their cheek. "I haven't gotten anything yet." 

"Neither have I," added Ivan. 

"Maybe you will?" Kotetsu shrugged. "I mean, I haven't either, so maybe the three of us won't?"

"Oh! And I almost forget the best thing!!" Pao-Lin punched the air in excitement. "I got tickets to the Battle of the Foods happening next week! They've been sold out for weeks now!"

"What the 'Battle of the Foods'?" asked Nathan. 

"It's when several cooks are given a theme, but they're missing a key ingredient, so they have to figure out how to substitute, or sometimes they'll chose to make something completely different. Even better, a few members of the audience are picked to be on the show and taste the food, and that's exactly what my ticket is for!"

Everyone gave their congratulations to the excited Pao-Lin, who beamed and promised that she'd take pictures, even if she couldn't bring any of the food back. 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------

Ivan stood in his doorway, staring at who had rang his doorbell. 

"Well? What's your thought on this?"

"Why me?" 

"Someone told me that you would be a good teacher, both patient and fair. I've been your neighbor for a while now, and I would agree with that assessment." 

"You've been watching me?" 

There was a sigh. 

"Not quite. They told me that you always say hello to your other neighbors, and I've actually seen you at the supermarket. You're kind to others, and I think that you'll make a great teacher. 

"But... I haven't spoken Russian in a long time," Ivan protested. 

"Then we'll start with Japanese." She smiled. "That's fine with me." 

Ivan still wasn't quite sure what was happening. He'd been watching  _ The Seven Samurai  _ only a few minutes ago, and now there was an older Japanese lady wanting to offer him language lessons?

"Don't stare me in the eyes," she said, the cane she was holding onto striking the ground. "Many Japanese people dislike eye contact. Stare at my neck, or my shoulder instead. That'll allow you to read my face without boring a hole in me." 

Not just language lessons...

"I can offer Russian cooking lessons," Ivan blurted out, a red flush climbing his cheeks. 

"I accept," she said, nodding her head. "And I'll offer some Japanese cooking lessons too." 

Ivan smiled and bowed, offering his arm to escort her into his apartment. 

"My name's Ivan Karelin." 

"Ota Keiko. And I can see that you've got a lot to learn young man." 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------

Nathan spent the next few days looking closer at the people around them. They'd heard about Ivan's new Japanese tutor (who had mysteriously appeared on his front step), so now it was only him and Kotetsu who were without gifts. Nothing happened. Deliveries went as planned, nobody new came into their life, and for those few days everything behaved exactly as it should have. 

And then... there was a cassette tape on their pillow when they arrived home after a late night of criminal chasing. Nahan looked at the "mixed tape" and turned on their heels. 

"I've got you now," they said, hitting playback on the security camera. Eagerly, then leaned forward, then groaned. All they saw was a floating cassette. "Strange... I don't know anyone with that particular NEXT power. 

Nathan shrugged, then sauntered back to where the cassette tape was laying. 

"I guess there's only one way to figure out what's on this." A finger hit play, with them focusing completely on the crackle and pop of someone being recorded. 

Then, a very familiar, very gruff, and very drunk voice began to speak. Nathan's eyes went wide, then filled with unexpected tears after a few minutes. The stood there, listening and grinning like a mad fool. 

"Well now," they said when the tape clicked to a stop. "That was a balm to the heart, wasn't it?" 

With care they extracted the tape, then placed it inside a keepsake box, closing the lid gently before putting it back in the corner of the room. 

"I think it's time to give a little something back though." 

Passing through the kitchen, they snagged a pink feather pen and a heart shaped notebook. Recalling the first incident, or at least the one that had been called to their attention, they began to write down all the little clues. 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------

Kotetsu was on the roof, seeking relief from the office heat, and thankfully finding it. 

"I should have known you'd be up here." 

He turned to see Barnaby leaving the stairwell. 

"If someone didn't keep the office so hot, I'd be downstairs. Instead, I've been forced to leave so I don't melt.”

Barnaby looked up at the cloudless sky, turning his face to enjoy the sunlight. 

"Such a burden," he teased, closing his eyes and soaking in the rays. 

"Did you need me?" 

"Mm... not me actually, Nathan was looking for you. I told them you were up here." 

Almost as if on cue, the elevator opened and out spilled the rest of the Heroes, Nathan leading the pack. 

"Everyone?" 

"Oh yeah, Nathan may have gathered us altogether." Barnaby stepped back to be with the others, surrounding Kotetsu in a circle. 

"Um... hi?" He laughed, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. "What's going on?" 

"We just wanted to thank you for all the things you did for us!" said Pao-Lin. "I don't know how you got those tickets, but it was awesome to go!"

"Why do you think it was me?" 

"Because it was you, don't deny it." Antonio stepped forward. "You're the only one who knows the weird puzzles I like."

"And you're the only one who knew how much that gift meant to me," added Nathan. 

"So what we're trying to say..." and there was Karina, joining in. 

"Is thank you!" Shouted Keith, all smiles and windblown hair, "and thank you again!" 

"To reward you for your kindness," said Ivan, bowing. 

"We're going to take you to that all-you-can-eat fried rice place," finished Barnaby, a sly grin on his face. "So come on, let's go have lunch."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Letter from the Soup - K for Kindness
> 
> Feel free to send a Wild Roar by leaving a kudos or a comment!


	23. Growth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: Everyone else remembers, Kotetsu forgets, and all's well that end's well [Future Fic]

Pao-Lin chose the restaurant this time, so instead of hot and spicy curry, there was a buffet of hot and spicy Sichaun Chinese dishes.

"I told you-" The youngest of them gulped down a mouthful of Dandan noodles. "That you would like this place!"

Kotetsu was the only one who didn't say anything since he was currently focused on sampling from the fried rice dishes in front of him. Each of them had something different for the moment. Nathan was methodically cracking crab legs, the snaps making Barnaby twitch, causing him to hunch deeper and deeper over his plate of tea-smoked duck.

Keith had a plate full of egg rolls (since the place had learned long ago to also carry the more notable dishes from other parts of China), and Karina was focused on her spicy deep-fried chicken, losing more pieces to Antonio's wandering chopsticks. Ivan vocally agreed even though he was giving the hot and sour noodle soup in front of him wary glances.

"Enjoyable." Nathan sucked on one end of a cracked crab leg. "I like how they added just a hint of heat to the crabs, but without overwhelming the flavor. That takes a delicate touch."

"You said you wanted to celebrate something," Ivan said, pushing the soup away from him and grabbing Karina's chicken as she scolded Antonio.

"I did," said Pao-Lin. "I've officially been working with you all for five years now, and even though it's been hard sometimes, keeping one thing in mind has helped me get this far."

"Oh?"

"What was that?" asked Barnaby, pulling a plate of mapo doufu towards him.

She glanced at Kotetsu, who was still happily buried behind bowls of rice, and her smile grew even wider.

"Someone told me that no matter how much people complained about my size, my age, my gender, or anything like that, as long as my heart and soul stayed lit with an inner fire, I'd become a great hero."

"Good advice," said Keith, nodding. "And again, good advice." His face slowly went red, and he snatched a glass of tea, frantically pouring in into his mouth.

"Try something with bread," suggest Karina, swatting at Ivan's chopsticks and frowning at him. "Though... did you really find an egg roll to be spicy? What's next, mayonnaise?"

"Mmph," said Kotetsu, swallowing the food he'd packed his cheeks with. "That sounds like something I'd say." He laughed. "Who told you that? I kinda want to meet them."

The rest of the Heroes watched as Pao-Lin's face went from pure happiness to confusion, then slid into anger, eyes narrowed at the veteran Hero.

"You told me!" she retorted, snapping up a fish slice and biting it with her front teeth. Like a ping-pong match, everyone turned to look at the surprised Tiger.

"I did?" He gulped, and Barnaby hid a smile behind some food; it was like watching when Kaede lectured her father. Kotetsu's face would fall, his eyes would grow wide, and usually whatever his said was the complete opposite of what he needed to say. Usually.

"My first day on the job," grumbled Pao-Lin, shoving more fish into her mouth. "But, I guess it's not important if you don't remember it."

"That's not true," said Nathan, reaching for another crab leg. "In fact, I remember what Kotetsu said to me when I first started."

"Really?" Karina turned away from Keith, surprise in her voice. "Well, what did he say?"

Barnaby watched his partner. Kotetsu was looking from side to side, then he clenched his jaw before shooting a death glare at Antonio.

"He said..." drawled Nathan, leaning back in their chair and winking at Barnaby. "Something like this. 'You look gorgeous, don't let anyone else tell you different. And if they do, wow! their socks off.'"

"I say you're lying," Kotetsu said instantly, scooping more rice into a his spoon. "That was years ago, you can't possibly remember what I said!"

"Do you remember what Kaede said to you years ago on Father's Day?" asked Barnaby, laughing at his partner's betrayed look. "I know you do. Messages... tend to stay around when they're important."

"I memorized mine too," snickered Antonio, this time sneaking one of Keith's egg rolls. He was a little surprised when the wind master just pushed the plate at him, but he eagerly grabbed one and bit into it with relish. "Don't fuck this up like you did with Tomoe."

"Old cow," muttered Kotetsu as everyone at the table, even Pao-Lin, started laughing.

"What can I say?" asked Antonio, spreading his hands out. "You were right. I screwed up with Tomoe, and that almost cost her her life. You were just reminding me, in your own way, not to screw this up too. And that little voice of concern has kept me going as well."

"I don't..." Karina looked away, a blush spreading across her face. "I don't remember the exact words, but I do remember someone asking me why I wanted to, to do what we do. He made me stronger, and his words made my resolve stronger."

Her eyes darted to Kotetsu, then she looked away, grabbing one of Antonio's egg rolls and shoving more than half of it into her mouth.

"That same someone used a lot of words with me," said Ivan, a shy smile on his lips as he played with his untouched hot and sour noodle soup. "Way too many for me to remember. He also encouraged me, helped me grow. Told me that I was the only one who could do what I could do."

Kotetsu was the one with the red face now, unsure of where to look at except the food in front of him.

"It wasn't words with me," mused Keith, a small smile on his lips. He rubbed his chin. "It was spirit. When I joined, I was being told by one group that points were important, but he was the one who showed me what was truly, and again, truly important. Protecting and helping the citizens of Stern Bild."

"...is that why you go on patrol every night?" asked Pao-Lin, looking up at Keith. He nodded.

"I figured it was because you're a boy scout," mumbled Karina, rolling her eyes.

"The thing about messages is that they don't need to be important to the speaker," added Nathan finishing off their last piece of crab with a contented sigh. "They need to conform to the listener. Karina is someone who needs questions, because her finding answers is what helps her. When Kotetsu talked to me, he saw someone who needed encouragement, like he did in you Pao-Lin."

"He knows me," said Antonio, laughing. "Nothing else would've stuck inside my head like that did."

"Sooo... it's okay that I think what he told me was special, and he doesn't?"

"That's life." Nathan looked over at Kotetsu. "The best thing is that he doesn't even know he's doing it."

The table exploded into laughter, getting the attention of the staff and other people at the restaurant.

"You know," said Pao-Lin, taking Ivan's soup away from him. "Nathan's right. Thanks Kotetsu, even if you don't know why."

"And not just in words," Barnaby said, speaking up. He looked his partner dead in the eyes, a small, mischievous part of him enjoying the panic he was causing. "You've apologized to me, and you've had my back every inch of the way. If that's not friendship, then I don't know what is."

Kotetsu cleared his throat.

"It's not as if I'm doing anything special," he protested.

"You don't think so," said Keith, "but we do. And that's what matters."

"It's the same when Kaede gives you something she made at school. It means everything to you, even if I don't think you need a lopsided ash tray for your living room." Barnaby smiled, and that took the slight sting out of the words. "Just accept the compliment, would you?"

Kotetsu looked around the table. Eager faces watched, waiting to see what he would do.

"Thank you Pao-Lin," he finally said, holding up a spoon full of shrimp fried rice. "I'm sorry I don't remember exactly what it was that I said, but I'm glad I was able to help you become the amazing person we all know and love."

The cheer that came from that heartfelt message sent the manager over, scolding all of them for causing a commotion and disturbing other customers.

 


End file.
